


The Monotonous Endeavour (of Motion Pictures, Candy Transactions, and Popcorn Distribution)

by auspizien



Category: One Piece
Genre: Abuse, Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Movie Theatre, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkward Crush, Barely Legal, Child Abuse, Eventual Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji, F/M, First Time, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mutual Pining, Past Child Abuse, Secret Crush, Size Difference, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2019-11-08 15:28:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 29,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17983748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/auspizien/pseuds/auspizien
Summary: Sanji had planned to spend his summer after graduating high school enjoying his new found freedom; winding up working for his older sister's best friend at a run down movie theatre and falling in love with him in the process definitely had not been part of the plan...





	1. June 3rd

**Author's Note:**

> ~The ages are made up and the canon don't matter~
> 
> This fic /originally/ was only supposed to be a size difference kink one-shot from a prompt on tumblr. Unfortunately, it got waaay out of hand and now it's looking to be several chapters long. It turned from a PWP to a monster of a plot with a bunch on pining, angst, and idiots being dumbasses. So I hope you enjoy :)
> 
> For clarification:  
> Flashback - Zoro 17, Sanji 9  
> Present Day - Zoro 26, Sanji 18

Nine Years Ago

~2:15pm~

 

The graduation hall had a dull hum about it as the ceremony took place. Name after name called as each student made his or her way onto the stage to receive the diploma, hold for pictures taken by parents, and then depart to retake their seat. Despite the small graduation class, it still felt like the whole ordeal had taken hours as they were finally nearing the end of the list.

****

Zoro had fallen asleep twice already only to be awoken by his buddy Ace who had somehow - miraculously - not also dozed off at some point as well. The only good thing about this ceremony being done alphabetically was that the two of them got to sit next to each other, down side was that their other friend was stuck at the end of the line.

****

A staticy voice mumbled into the microphone, “Vinsmoke, Reiju.”

****

Having waited for the cue the whole ceremony, Ace and Zoro both jumped to their feet and began hollering as loud as they could as their friend made her way onto the stage in a confident stride - complete composure keeping her from looking at her two friends. Posing for the photo after receiving her Diploma, she sent a smirk in their direction as they both returned to their seats and the last of the ceremony wrapped up.

****

Once the final speech finished, all the students rose to their feet, removed their graduate hats, and promptly threw them into the air as high as they could. It wasn’t nearly as coordinated as in the movies - some not going high enough, others ending up tossed towards the parents seating area - but it was jovial nonetheless as everyone cheered at the notion of finally leaving high school.

****

Out in the courtyard, in front of the large auditorium where the graduation had taken place, students in their robes milled about with their parents. Some getting their photos taken in their gowns with their diplomas, others finding their friends back and hugging tearful farewells as they had finally come to the last semester they would spend together, and others were already making their way home.

****

Ace and Zoro managed their way through the crowd occasionally nodding, or waving, to fellow students who shouted out to say goodbye. Pulling off his grad hat that they had been forced to find after having thrown, Zoro tucked it under his arm while attempting to work the robe off. The sooner he was out of this damn costume the better.

****

“Woah. Woah. Woah.” Ace chided as he batted Zoro's hands away, “Keep it on for family photos.”

****

“You know Mihawk doesn’t give a shit about sentimental stuff like that.” Zoro scoffed, “He probably already has the car running.”

****

“Yeah,” Ace chuckled, “But Shanks does and I guarantee he's going to want at least a dozen photos; so keep it on.”

****

Zoro groaned – more to himself than anything else – before releasing the clasp on the gown and pulling his hat back onto his head with a gruff tug, “Fine.”

****

“ACE!!!”

****

The booming scream signalled the end of their search as Ace's younger brother Luffy came barrelling through the crowd towards them, people parting to make way for the screaming juvenile lest they be run over. Not even bothering to slow himself, Luffy fullbody tackled his older brother and nearly took him out with one go; Ace embracing the other kid with just as much enthusiasm as he wrestled the younger boy under his arm and proceeded to give him a noogie. 

****

A small fight broke out between the two as Zoro stepped around them to give them more space and let them duke it out. When they finally tuckered each other out, Ace shoved off of Luffy and began straightening his gown while asking, “Where's Shanks?”

****

“They're all over by the fountain.” Luffy jerked his thumb over his shoulder, jumping back to his feet energetically and making sure to right his hat that had fallen off, “I came and found you because Shank's said he'd pay for lunch after this.”

****

“That would explain why you actually came and found us and not off harassing some janitor.” Ace commented snidely, glancing at Zoro, “I could do lunch though. You?”

****

“Free lunch sounds awesome.”

****

Getting over to the fountain proved a bit more difficult than it seemed since they kept getting sidetracked by friends and classmates dragging them aside for farewells. After managing to break free from another group of students, they finally got to the fountain to find both families waiting for them. Shanks had a camera in hand and was looking far more giddy than any of the children present; it was a stark contrast to Mihawk who watched them with a stoic expression.

****

“Good job getting lost trying to get on stage, dumbass.” Perona jeered, “Didn’t think even you’d manage to fuck that up.”

****

“Shut up.” Zoro grunted towards his older sister, “They didn’t tell us which side to come on from.”

****

“Literally everyone went on from the left.” Perona rolled her eyes, “How hard was it to get that?”

****

“Enough.” Mihawk drawled with his usual exhausted tone once Zoro and Perona got going, “I already had to sit through the entire ceremony with Red crying, I do not want to listen to your bickering as well.”

****

Shanks threw an arm around Mihawk’s shoulders, pulling him tightly into his side and causing an unpleasant expression to morph on his face. Completely unperturbed, Shanks shook him excitedly, “C’mon, don’t be a bummer. Our boys are graduating; this is a momentous occasion!”

****

Mihawk made a face, “I would be more impressed if the boy managed to somehow not graduate.”

****

“Thanks, old man.” Zoro piped up, arms coming to cross over his chest as Mihawk sent him a look of warning. All it was met with was a grin since the man’s scare tactics had stopped working on him years ago.

****

“Now,” Shanks released Mihawk - not the least bit perturbed by his behaviour - turning to face the two graduates. Camera raised as he motioned for the two to move in closer for the photo. “Big smiles boys! This one's going on the mantel.”

****

Ace threw an arm over Zoro’s shoulders and Zoro kept his arms crossed as he grudgingly flashed a large grin at Shanks as he snapped a few photos. Enduring it for a few minutes until Shanks finally seemed appeased and he gave a thumbs up to let the boy’s know they could stop posing.

****

“If you’re done,” Mihawk noted, “then I’ll go get the car.”

****

“Hold up!” Shanks protested, “We’re going for a celebratory lunch; I already said I’m paying!”

****

“Very well.” Mihawk conceded, and Zoro could tell from his tone he had been hoping Shanks would forget. Glancing at Zoro he added, “We will meet you by the car; finish up here.”

****

“Yes, sir.”

****

“Luffy and I will go bring the car around,” Shanks echoed Mihawk’s words, “I’ll make sure Hawky knows where to meet us.”

****

Watching them go, Ace cast a sideways glance at Zoro, “You still have to call him sir?”

****

“Naw.” Zoro shrugged with a sly grin, “But it annoys him so I like it.”

****

“Gassy!” A familiar voice shouted over the crowd and had both boys turning to see their classmate striding over to them with an extended arms, “Roro!”

****

A wide grin split Ace's face as Reiju came running over – long since accustomed to the unflattering nickname – while Zoro's just shook his head fondly, watching as Ace picked her up and spun her around in greeting before plopping her with a clumsy flourish. 

****

Casting a glance behind them at their retreating families, she turned back to them looking mildly scandalized, “You’re not leaving yet, are you?”

****

“Shank’s promised Luffy a free lunch,” Zoro shrugged, “and Dad was in a rush to get out of here as fast as possible.”

****

“Well they’ll have to wait a few more minutes. C'mon.” Reiju grinned, looping an arm through each of theirs before spinning them around, “Mom wants some pics of us.”

****

Dragging the boys across the courtyard, they found Rejui's parents standing off to the side of the main crowd; her mother throwing up an arm and waving them down as they approached. Zoro had only met Reiju's parents a handful of times due to the fact that their household was rather crowded and her father’s uncomfortable racial leanings. It hadn’t taken much for Zoro and Ace to realize that while Reiju didn’t hold her fathers views, it was best that they not be around him when they could avoid it.

****

During the ceremony, Zoro’s foster father and sister had been their usual charming selves while Ace's father had spent a majority of it getting choked up about them graduating and annoying Zoro's father. Reiju’s family on the other hand had sat near the back with their four sons – all of whom were still in elementary school – three of them had spent the ceremony being wildly disruptive and the fourth had simply quietly kept his nose in a book.

****

“There you two are!” A bright smile lit up Sora’s face, “I was starting to think you might have already left.”

****

“They were by the fountain.” Reiju explained, “All set?”

****

Holding up the camera in clear indication, Sora nodded as Reiju pulled the boys in close and they posed for the photo. Once the camera flashed, Reiju put an arm over each of their shoulders to pull them in tight for another as Zoro awkwardly held up his hand with a peace sign and smiled.

****

Eventually Reiju released them, and Zoro was relieved to note that the photo taking was over. Sora was silent for a few moments as she shuffled through the photos she had taken before making a soft noise and practically melting. Looking up at the three, she explained, “This is a really good one; I think I’m good.”

****

“Oh wait wait wait wait!” Reiju stuttered in excitement, her gaze turned towards her four brothers and she hurriedly gestured towards herself. Righting herself just in time as one of her more excitable brothers launched himself into her arms and she turned back to Sora with a laugh, “The boys need to be in one.”

****

“Great idea!” Sora exclaimed happily, as Zoro masked a grimace.

****

“Here Ace,” Reiju explained as she handed off the squirming nine year old boy, nearly dropping him before Ace managed to catch him and right him in his arms. “Take Itchy.”

****

“It's Ichiji!” The boy yelped in indignation, but allowed himself to be manhandled regardless as Ace hefted him up and plopped him on his shoulders. A wide smile split his face as the blue haired one came barrelling into the frame and Ace scooped him up under one arm and kept him trapped there as the other two boys came running over.

****

Zoro still wasn't certain on their names, but the green haired one promptly tripped the blond haired boy in favour of beating him to their sister. Clinging to her side as he stuck out his tongue teasingly at the blond boy as Zoro couldn't help but wonder how hellish the Vinsmoke household must be with four boys running around the place.

****

“It's okay, Sanji!” Reiju coaxed the blond boy over with a wide smile, pulling him in for a quick kiss to the cheek before handing him off to Zoro. “You can be with Zoro.”

****

There was a moment of awkward fumbling as Zoro was unexpectedly handed one of Rei's brothers and was forced to prop him on his hip. Zoro looked down at the blond-haired kid awkwardly, unsure of what to say but it seemed the task was taken from him; a confident frown marred the kid's face before he declared rather promptly, “Your hair looks stupid.”

****

Caught off guard by how brash and bold the kid was, all Zoro had time to rationalize was, “It's the same colour as your brother's...”

****

“Exactly.”

****

“Alright all of you!” Sora called out loudly, needing to project over the other families laughing and shouting while taking their own photos and especially needing to be heard over the four yelling children in the shot, “Look here please!”

****

Zoro only had enough time to turn his head towards the camera before the shot happened, but not enough to erase the look of indignation on his face. Sanji had adopted a rather innocent smile that matched most of his brother's – aside from the one blue haired one that hadn't righted himself in Ace's arm in time – Ace had his dashing smile in place, and Rei had a gorgeous grin splitting her’s.

****

A large flash and the moment was frozen in time.

****

* * *

Present Day ****  
** **

~1:25am~

****

“Two Red Lines and the Skypiea IPA.” Listing off the drinks as he placed them on the counter in front of himself, Zoro held out his hand to the young woman on the other side the bar, “Twenty-seven fifty.”

****

“Keep the change.”

****

Handing Zoro several bills, she gave a flirtatious smile as her response was barely audible over the music pumping through the bar from the band currently playing on stage. Nabbing the two bottles in one hand and the pint in the other, she made her way back into the chaos of the bar while Zoro put through the order on the till and pocketed the tip.

****

Slamming the till shut, he snagged the towel from his shoulder and gave the bar a quick pass to mop up some of the spilt liquor from the progressively drunken patrons before finding another order to take. He managed to get through several more before a call from the other end of the bar had him looking up, Kaku holding the ancient landline up and mouthing, “For you.”

****

Nabbing the phone out of the other man's grip, he let the blond get back to working his end as Zoro turned away from the bar and covered his other ear in an attempt to hear better. “Zoro speaking.”

****

“Hey, Roro.” A familiar voice crooned in his ear, “Busy?”

****

“At work.” Zoro explained through a smile, having not heard from the other in several weeks. “How’s Germany?”

****

“Oh my God, it’s amazing. It’s been a month but it only feels like a couple days, and work is fantastic I--” Reiju cut herself short and laughed, the line crackling under the noise, “But I can tell you about it later when you have more time; I’m calling cause I need a favour.”

****

“Sure.” Zoro shrugged as he adjusted the phone, propping it between shoulder and ear as he returned to the bar where a few impatient customers had formed a line. Considering how loud the music was, it wasn't like he really needed to be able to hear what the patrons were ordering anyway, just be able to read their lips well enough to get them the drink they wanted, “But I'm gonna have to serve and talk.”

****

“That's fine. Serve away.” Reiju mused, “I'll talk.”

****

Turning towards the man nearest him, Zoro jerked his head with a quick, “What can I get ya?”

****

“Pitcher of Hody Jones and four glasses.”

****

Nodding, Zoro snagged a pitcher from under the bar and set it under the tap as he pulled the lever, humming into the receiver, “Hm?”

****

Reiju was obviously hesitant, “I need you to give one of my brothers a job at the theatre.”

****

Zoro's immediate response was a no, but instead he held his tongue which was just as worse as Reiju could no doubt hear his reluctance through the telephone line. Not sure what to say, he instead finished topping up the pitcher and set it down on the bar in front of the customer. Snatching up the bill from the customer, he returned to the till and put in the order. Grabbing the change and four glasses, he handed everything off before eventually muttering down the line, “I dunno…”

****

“C'mon Roro.” Rei smirked, “For me?”

****

“Ugh...” Zoro breathed in annoyance, hand coming up to run through his hair before asking, “Which one?”

****

“Hm?”

****

“Which one is it?” Zoro clarified as he noted another order from a customer. Heading back over to the taps and beginning to fill up a pint with Alabasta Rain, “The one that bit me, the one that stole my bike, the one that left dog shit on my porch, or the one that kicks me in the shins at every opportunity.”

****

“Shin kicker.” Reiju laughed at that.

****

“Lovely.” Zoro's words all but dripped with sarcasm, “Should be a real treat.”

****

Reiju’s tone turned wistful as she implored, “He's grown up a lot – they all have – speaking of; when was the last time you saw them?”

****

“I dunno.” Zoro shrugged, topping off the beer and making sure there wasn't too much head to the drink before passing it off to the customer and taking the payment. Giving a nod as the customers words of gratitude were completely lost amoungst the music and yelling patrons, “Twelfth? Thirteenth birthday?”

****

“Damn, has it really been that long?”

****

“I didn't make a habit of going to your place more than I had to.” Zoro alluded as politely as he could, letting the comment hang in the air as he instead took an order of shots from a rather drunken party of younger women. Pulling out multiple shot cups and setting them across the bar in a line, reaching behind himself to nab a large bottle of Aqua Laguna.

****

“Fair.” Rei mused, knowing exactly what Zoro was referring to. Her father was a real piece of work, and had only gotten worse when Rei’s mother had passed away. In and out of jail constantly, it was amazing that none of the kids had gotten taken away and put in foster care; it was likely all Reiju’s doing which was why she hadn’t been able to move for so long, “Well you'll be surprised. They all shot up like weeds. Taller than me now; it's embarrassing.”

****

“Remind me which one was the shin kicker?” Zoro groused as he finished off the line of shots and snagged the cloth from his shoulder to wipe off his hands. Snagging the phone properly from where it had been pinched between his ear and shoulder as the small reprieve from customers had given him an opportunity to actually focus on their conversation.

****

“Sanji.” When the name caused no recognition, Rei prompted, “Blond one; bit quiet.”

****

“Right...” Zoro beguiled.

****

In all honestly he hadn't been able to really tell them apart that much; from the few times Zoro had been at the Vinsmoke household, he had found all four of the boys to be overly rambunctious and uncomfortably violent. Not that Zoro hadn't gotten into plenty of fights as a child, but it seemed that whatever the boys got up to was a bit more than just friendly backyard roughhousing.

****

“Just do it, alright?”

****

“Alright.” Zoro finally conceded, knowing that despite his reservations there was no way he could say no to the woman. Huffing through a reluctant smile, “Tell him to be at the theatre by six.”

****

“Thank you!” Reiju practically squealed down the line, “You’re the best! I owe you!”

****

“Yeah. Yeah.” Zoro waved off her words with a tired affection, “I need to get back to work. Talk soon.”

****

“Of course! Talk to you later.”

****

Hanging up the phone, Zoro whipped the cloth he had still been holding over his shoulder as he still couldn’t believe what he had agreed to. Turning back to the bar, all thoughts of his questionable favour were put on hold as he was met with an intense gaze.

****

It was the woman from earlier, except this time she had a much more flirtatious look about her as she leaned against the counter and eyed Zoro expectantly. A smirk was already working its way onto Zoro’s face as he slowly walked over to her and braced his hands against the bar as he leaned in and - despite already knowing the answer - asked, “What can I get you?”

****

~9:34am~

****

Huffing in frustration, Sanji tore the page from his notebook, crumpled it, and tossed it over his shoulder in the general direction of the rubbish bin. Paper ball joining multiple others as Sanji still wasn't happy with how this recipe was turning out. It was almost a relief when his phone began buzzing and Sanji was forced to turn away from his desk and answer the call from his sister.

****

“Hey Rei.” Sanji chirped, “How you doing? Isn't it like midnight over there?”

****

“Just about.” Reiju shrugged, “How are you doing?”

****

“Same old. Same old.” Sanji leaned back in his desk chair, swivelling in place while gazing up at the ceiling, “What you calling for?”

****

“I got you a job.”

****

Sanji’s heart sank, “Rei, I told you--”

****

“No, listen.” Reiju chidded as she spoke over top of him, “It’s over at the theatre. I had to pull some strings to get this for you so you can’t back out on me.”

****

This is exactly what he hadn’t wanted. With highschool finished and only a few months before Judge would be shipping him off to boot camp, Sanji had been hoping to make the most out of this summer; not be stuck in some boring job. Trying to not let much of his disappointment show, Sanji muttered, “But--”

****

“No buts. This is for your own good.” Reiju huffed, “Besides, if you don't show up you'll make me look bad.”

****

Biting his lip at the thought of doing anything to tarnish his wonderful sister’s reputation, Sanji stopped spinning his chair long enough to ask seriously, “To whom?”

****

Already Sanji could hear the relief in Reiju’s voice as she could no doubt tell she had him at her whim, “Zoro, remember him?”

****

Sanji froze in place at the mention of that name as a cold sweat of dread began dripping down his back, the realization of what Reiju was saying setting in.

****

Of course he remembered Zoro.

****

Zoro Roronoa was the gruff, green-haired grump who used to hang out with his older sister and her other best friend from high school, Ace Portgas. He had only been around a handful of times as the age gap meant Reiju was prone to hanging out with her friends anywhere but at home where they would be bothered by Sanji and his brothers.

****

It wasn’t until Zoro had come by for one of their birthdays that Sanji had had the unfortunate circumstance of realizing he wasn’t as straight as he had thought he was. While his brothers had all been fighting over who got to open what gift first and who got more cake, Sanji had looked at a twenty year old Zoro with mounting horror.

****

Sanji hadn’t been able to place what it was; maybe it was the fact that Zoro had put on an extra thirty pounds of muscle in the past few years since he graduated, or maybe it was the way his jaw had finally properly come in, or even the cocky strut he now had about him. Regardless, all of it was responsible for Sanji’s next few years of high school being a sexually charged mess as he tried to deny his realization and convince himself it was just a fluke. 

****

It resulted in him overzealously chasing skirts and exaggeratedly flirting with any girl that looked his way in hopes of the random crush just being a stupid fluke. It was only in the last year that he had come to terms with everything and even become remotely okay with the idea that he was more or less open to either gender. But suddenly having to come face to face with the cause of his sexual awakening was not something he wanted to do in the slightest.

****

“Uh… yeah.” Sanji managed out a tad strangled, “I remember him.”

****

“Great!” Reiju continued,unbeknownst to Sanji’s inner turmoil, “I don’t remember the details, but he helps run the Going Merry part-time. You need to be there by six today, alright?”

****

“Yeah,” Sanji sighed, “alright.”

****

“And no kicking him!” Reiju added in with a cackle, “He's your boss now.”

****

An embarrassed flush flooded Sanji's face as he sputtered indignantly, “I'm not twelve anymore! Of course I won't!”

****

“Okay, okay,” Reiju attempted to pacify Sanji through her laughter, “Just teasing. So, what did I interrupt? Working on anything new you wanna share?”

****

Biting his lip and turning back to his desk where his scribbles were all scattered about, Sanji felt his spirits begin to lift substantially at the notion of being able to talk to Reiju about his creative block. Reiju always knew him best, and was the only person that had enjoyed talking to him about his recipes, “Actually, you might be able to give me some advice…”

****

~12:14pm~

****

A sudden sound of rushing water had Zoro’s eyes snapping open and he was met with the bright rays of near afternoon sunlight shining through the open windows. Pushing himself up, Zoro let the sheets pool around his waist as he glanced across his modest studio apartment at the small kitchen visible from his bed. Finding the woman from last night leaning against the counter with a glass of water in her hands and nothing but a shirt on.

****

“Hey.”

****

“Hey...” Zoro trailed off as he ran a hand through his hair, gaze running the length of her exposed body as he had fully intended on referring to the woman by her name before realizing he had completely forgotten it. Giving a sheepish expression, his gaze eventually met hers and he finished rather lamely, “you.”

****

Head dipping forward, the woman chuckled into her water before looking back up at him with an amused smirk, “Monet.”

****

“Right.” Zoro nodded, “Monet.”

****

Setting the glass of water aside, she began fixing her hair up above her head as she made her way across the studio apartment. The motion caused her shirt to ride up and confirmed that she really was wearing just a shirt and nothing else. Completely unperturbed, she motioned towards the bathroom, “Mind if I take a shower?”

****

“Knock yourself out.”

****

Gifting Zoro with a pleased smile, she strode off towards the bathroom and let Zoro watch her retreating figure before she was out of sight and Zoro supposed he might as well get up. Pushing himself out of bed, he was courteous enough to pull on a pair of boxers before going about starting a pot of coffee and cleaning up after the night before.

****

It was only when he was picking up several items they had accidentally knocked off his shelves the other night, that he was reminded of his conversation with Reiju. Gaze turning to the bookshelf where his old yearbook sat, he knew they had some old photos in it that might help ring some bells about the kid he had supposedly just agreed to hire.

****

Snagging the yearbook off the wall, Zoro flipped through it idly – stopping here and there to note a picture he had forgotten about or a classmate he hadn't thought about in years – before getting to the back with all the signatures. Both pages filled with everyone's well wishes and quotes for the future, and tucked amoungst all of them were several photographs. Pulling them free, Zoro tossed the book aside on the bed as he began flipping through them.

****

All of them had been taken on graduation and Reiju had been thoughtful enough to track them all down for him and Ace. There was one of him with several of the guys from the football team, another with all his classmates and a few with his teachers. Reiju’s and Ace’s face frequented throughout the photographs.

****

Halfway through the stack he found the photo he had been looking for of the three of them together. It was from their graduation ceremony when Reiju had insisted on having a picture with her brothers in it. Eyes falling to the blond one, Zoro instantly remembered him as the one who had insulted his hair and the look on Zoro's face in the photo was testament to that.

****

Right... the shin kicker.

****

Zoro remembered now. Sanji was the wiry one that was always trailing behind the other three, never saw him without his nose in a book, and had seemed the least violent of the four. His reservations about giving the kid a summer job were quickly fading, however he was still a little skeptical.

****

Shower still running, the sound of the curtain being pulled aside had Zoro glancing up from the photos and the subsequent memories caused by them - only to find a very naked Monet watching him from the doorway. She looked coy before asking rather expectantly, “Well, you joining me or what?”

****

Tossing the photos aside on his desk, a wide grin split Zoro's face as he followed her back into the shower. He supposed that nothing bad could come from letting the runt of the litter come work for the summer. It wasn't like the guy would still be liable to kicking Zoro in the shins anymore or anything like that.

****

~5:24pm~

****

Gathering up the notes and random papers from all the recipes he had been working on, Sanji shoved them all into a folder which was then thrown in his knapsack. It wasn’t like the papers had anything incriminating on them besides som haphazard culinary ideas, but he didn’t want any of his brothers digging through his stuff and messing with it while he was out. He gave his room a final once over to confirm it was tidy enough that he wouldn’t get in trouble later and then headed out to the hallway.

****

Making his way downstairs as casually as he could, Sanji was really hoping he’d be able to get out of the house clear of any riot acts. He could hear the television blaring some sort of asinine show in the living room which meant his brothers were likely preoccupied. Sanji made it halfway to the front door before he had been spotted and Niji shouted from the couch, “Where are you going?”

****

“None of your fucking business,” Sanji snapped as he strode past the living room and continued towards the doorway. Pausing to kick on his shoes as he remarked over his shoulder, “how about that?”

****

“Probably going to meet up with his secret boyfriend and take it up the ass,” Yonji sneered, “Ain’t that right, twerp?”

****

Shucking on his jacket, Sanji made sure his backpack was securely on before glancing back at his brother and shrugged, “I dunno, you tell me. You’re the expert on getting fucked. Didn’t one of the Charlotte’s screw you out of two hundred bucks?”

****

Yonji hissed angrily as he placed a hand on the back of the couch and launched himself over it, stalking towards Sanji as the blond began backing his way out of the entryway and reaching for the doorknob behind him. Managing to grasp it just as Yonji barked, “Fuck you, that’s not what happened and you know it!”

****

“Right, my mistake,” Sanji amended as he twisted the knob and pushed the door open behind himself. Continuing to back out across the porch as Yonji was clearly looking like he was ready for a fight, and Sanji was more than happy to goad him. Pointing a finger at Yonji, he corrected mockingly, “He screwed you  _ for _ two hundred bucks.”

****

Yonji’s face managed to turn a whole new shade of red, “You’re dead, runt!”

****

Not wanting to wait around to see the consequences of his actions, Sanji bolted down the porch steps and into the yard before Yonji had a chance to grab him. Snatching his bmx from the front yard, Sanji took off down the sidewalk as fast as the bike could carry him as Yonji’s furious screams became more and more distant. Eventually feeling safe enough to glance over his shoulder and laugh at his brother several yards away - quickly running out of steam and stumbling to a halt to yell after Sanji, “Your ass is beat when you get home!”

****

Letting the bike coast, Sanji raised a hand and flipped his brother off before continuing to make his way downtown and towards the theatre. It probably hadn’t been the best idea to piss Yonji off, but he was feeling a bit confrontational today - now that he had found out he was being forced into a job by his older sister - Yonji and the others would probably pick a fight when he got back after work, but it wasn’t like that was anything new.

****

Getting from Germa subdivision to the heart of downtown on bike would only take about twenty minutes, and luckily gave him more than enough time to have a smoke before he’d be expected to arrive. Pulling up outside the Goa Kingdom Movie Theatre, Sanji spared a second to lock up his bike before fingering a cigarette from the pack in his back pocket, lighting it as he glanced up at the old building he would now be working at.

****

Paint was peeling in a few areas of the siding that hadn't been touched up in years, and the posters out front were in plastic display cases that had clearly been damaged by kids attempting to break them thinking they were glass. At some point someone had graffitied a large ram’s head on the side of building in black spray paint which caught Sanji’s attention long enough to finish his cigarette before finally settling his sights on the signage high above on the building that displayed the theatre's name.

****

Multiple neon lights had been burnt out for years, but it seemed as though the owner had never had the desire to fix it so the location had lovingly been given the name ‘Going Meare’ by most of the local kids. While it wasn’t as new as the other two theatres in town, it had an old charm to it and enough business to keep it running. Once a month they would get in a major blockbuster that would play in the main theatre, and the rest of the time there was always showings of dated films in the secondary hall.

****

Checking his phone, Sanji discovered that he was almost fifteen minutes early and supposed there was no better time than now to duck in an introduce himself. Steeling himself for what was to come, he flicked his finished cigarette aside and made his way up to the large double glass doors and pushed them open.

****

A comforting aroma of warm popcorn salt, sickeningly sweet soda, and musty carpet hit him as he entered and he couldn’t deny the nostalgic feeling that the interesting combination always gave him. Fondly remembering when his mother used to bring him to the theatre as a child, or even the first time he’d take a girl on a date to the movies that hadn’t ended up with them making out during the film despite what he had been told.

****

Making his way across the rustic lobby with its high ceilings and older lights, the gaudy carpet had a weathered feel beneath each step as he noticed someone at the concession. Thumbing through a book, the man paused and glanced up at the same moment Sanji realized his presence. 

****

Sanji stopped in his tracks as a shrewd glance pinned him to the spot, watching nervously as the man studied him for several moments with sharp eyes before recognition set in and he was pushing himself away from the counter and making his way around to where Sanji stood. For his part, Sanji remained frozen in place as the older man made his way over and suddenly felt as useless as he had on his thirteenth birthday, standing in the corner of the living room.

****

Erratic green hair stood out like a beacon against his dark skin, and – only momentarily – pulled away from the flawless physique of the grumpy man. His painfully tight black work shirt strained against the man's broad shoulders and pinched across his chest, it was tucked into a ratty pair of weathered jeans that sat dangerously low on narrow hips.

****

Without a doubt the man was Zoro - if not recognizable by the obnoxious neon hair he still sported - then surely his surly scowl would’ve given it away. Even though it had been a few years since Sanji last saw him, those menacing brows hadn’t changed, only exaggerated a bit - likely due to overuse - and the rest of him had only gotten more defined.

****

All of it culminated in the realization that Sanji was - still - so totally screwed.

****

When Zoro neared, the initial grumpiness on his brow lessened and he cocked his head to the side and acknowledged, “Hey, Sanji, right? Long time, no see.”

****

“Uh, yeah.” Sanji agreed with an awkward nod. Forcing his hand to release his pack strap and holding it out to shake the older man’s before mumbling, “It’s been a while, man.”

****

“What’s it;” Zoro’s hand grasped Sanji’s in an aggressive hold that took Sanji aback and had him mildly insulted that the older man’s hand enveloped his so easily. Fighting down the urge to return the handshake even harder, Sanji pried his hand out of the grasp as Zoro prodded, “Five? Six years?”

****

“Just about.” Sanji admitted with a polite nod as his hand awkwardly fidgeted with the strap on his shoulder again, not sure what else to say before a wry smile exposed his teeth as he chuckled, remembering what Reiju had said earlier, “I think last time I saw you I was still kicking you at every opportunity.”

****

“Yeah, I remember that.” Zoro smiled and Sanji instantly felt a flutter in his chest that he desperately tried to stamp out. More than a little starstruck as Zoro turned away and motioned for Sanji to follow him while still making conversation, “You still in school?”

****

“Graduated this spring.” Sanji informed as he followed Zoro into the back and down the hallway leading to the back room beyond the concession. It was fairly cramped, but was clean and well kept. As they rounded a corner, Sanji could distantly see a manager’s office down the hall and a shipping bay next to it.

****

“Woah, already?” Zoro intoned, obviously trying to sound polite but his surprise was visible, “That happened fast.”

****

It hadn’t felt that way - especially not when he had to go through it all with his absolutely insane brothers - but Sanji supposed it could’ve been worse. Shrugging, Sanji just gave a small chuckle in agreement as Zoro lead them into a breakroom.

****

There were already two people hanging out; one lounging in a large chair in the corner with his nose buried in a handheld gaming device and the other at the table browsing in his phone. Both looked up when they entered and Sanji gave an awkward wave as Zoro gestured to the curly-haired boy who rose to shake Sanji’s hand. “This is Usopp.”

****

“I know you.” Sanji muttered mid-hand shake as realization was clearly dawning on the other’s face as well, “We took--”

****

“AP Biology.” Usopp finished with smile, “Yeah, I remember. You were the guy that nearly fainted when we had to dissect that spider.”

****

A blush mixed with a grimace on his face as the guy couldn’t have said anything more degrading to completely ruin the minute bit of maturity he had managed to project to Zoro after all these years. Refraining from grabbing the kid and telling him to shut up, he instead just chuckled wearily, “Ugh, don’t remind me; still freaks me out just thinking about it.”

****

“You were fine with the pig, and the frog.” Usopp pointed out, “Don’t like bugs or something?”

****

Sanji made a face before alluding, “...or something.”

****

“You can catch up later; Usopp could you cover tills for opening,” Zoro nodded his head towards the door, “I gotta make sure Sanji is shown the ropes.”

****

“Sure thing!” Usopp saluted cheerfully, scooping up his phone and heading out with a final wave to Sanji, “Look forward to working with you.”

****

“Same.” Sanji waved after the guy. They hadn’t talked much during school - mostly because he ran in different circles than Sanji and his brothers did - but it was going to be nice working somewhere he actually knew someone his own age. It was also going to be substantially easier making friends without his brothers constantly breathing down his neck.

****

Zoro waited for the exchange to end before motioning to the other man that still hadn’t moved from his spot in the corner, only looking up when he heard his name spoken as Zoro introduced him, “And that’s Luffy.” 

****

“Great to meet you!” Luffy bounded out of his seat and practically threw himself at Sanji, grabbing a hold of Sanji’s hand and proceeding to shake it way too enthusiastically. “You’re really going to enjoy working here. I promise!”

****

“Uh…” Sanji was thrown by the guy’s exuberance, but smiled nonetheless - his confidence oddly infectious. There was a familiarity to the man that Sanji couldn’t quite place, but decided not to dwell on it at the moment, “Thanks, man.”

****

“Everything here is pretty chill.” Zoro agreed, stepping around them and pulling open one of the cupboards above the sink and began rooting around in it, “Show up on time, help clean at close, and that’ll pretty much make you a model employee. You can bring in outside food, just don’t let customers see it; then we have to let them take theirs in.”

****

Sanji shrugged. “Sounds fair to me.”

****

“You’re allowed one bag of popcorn and two soda refills per shift and then you have to pay.” Zoro sent a weary gaze towards Luffy who had returned to his seat and snatched up his game once more, “You can thank the bottomless stomach over there for that little rule.”

****

Luffy gave a proud thumbs up without looking at either of them.

****

Fighting down a smile at the other guy’s behaviour, Sanji turned back to Zoro and jerked his head while asking, “What about a smoke break?”

****

Finally managing to pull out what he had been looking for - a wad of black fabric - Zoro shut the cupboard and graced Sanji with a raised brow. “You smoke?”

****

“You gonna make it a thing?” Sanji cocked a brow.

****

Shrugging carelessly, Zoro shook his head, “Once movies are thirty minutes in you can do whatever you want as long as you keep an eye on the till.”

****

“Doesn’t sound so bad,” Sanji smirked, looking Zoro up and down with far more confidence now. Finding that once he was past the initial awkwardness that it was incredibly easy to hold a steady conversation with the man, maybe even banter a little, “What do you do?”

****

A smirk. “Usually nap.”

****

“No kidding--”

****

“Sanji?!”

****

At the angelic voice, Sanji turned and immediately melted at the sight of one of his former classmates making her way into the breakroom. Auburn curls bouncing about her sweetly smiling face as she eventually came to a stop in front of him and he got a whiff of her tangerine perfume that he remembered so vividly.

****

“Nami!” Sanji swooned, “What are you doing here?”

****

“I work at this dump.” Shucking her purse off her shoulder, she tossed into what was presumably her locker before rounding on Sanji with her hands on her hips. Looking him up and down suspiciously despite the wide smile splitting her sweet face, “What’s your excuse?”

****

Zoro’s soft, “Oi.” of annoyance went completely ignored.

****

“I work here now.” Sanji’s grin was reaching epic proportions, “And it seems like this job just got a million times better.”

****

Nami was as unfazed by his flirting as she always was but smiled nonetheless in agreeance. Reaching out to poke at him playfully, “Well, at least I got my favourite partner in crime back. I can already tell next year is gonna suck without you dropping off pastries and harassing third block.”

****

“My baking skills are always at your service,” Sanji argued, “Name the time and place.”

****

“Alright, Casanova.” Zoro drawled, breaking up their conversation with a look of displeasure on his face. Pointing first at Sanji and then Nami as he ordered, “You still have training, and you; go get the projector set up.”

****

Nami made a face but turned to leave regardless, taking a second to grab her work shirt out of her locker before heading upstairs to get the movies set up. Shooting Sanji a final grin and an okay sign to let him know just how excited she was to have him there. 

****

Turning back to Zoro with a much dumber smile on his face as the older man arched a brow, “This gonna be an issue?”

****

“...no?”

****

“Yeah… alright.” Zoro sounded less than convinced, but also managing to also sound like he couldn’t care less. Tossing Sanji a work shirt and hat - that conveniently managed to peg Sanji in the face - he ordered, “Put those on and I’ll show you how to run the tills.”

****

TBC...


	2. June 4th

~12:45am~

Discarding his bike on the front lawn, Sanji adjusted his pack and trudged up the walkway. Much to his relief, he noted all the lights were out which meant he’d probably be able to sneak into his room without any trouble. Even though Yonji had had more than enough time to cool off, Sanji wouldn’t put it past the angry kid to stay up waiting for him; it was likely that Sanji would have to pay for his behaviour in the morning.

As he made his way inside, Sanji kept the doorknob engaged so as not to make any extra noise as he slowly slid the portal shut. Once it was aligned with the frame, he gently rotated the knob to allow the deadbolt to slide back in place and then turned to listen for any signs of anyone hearing him return home. After several moments of bated breath, all he was met with was silence and Sanji released a heavy sigh and then made his way upstairs to his room.

Upon using the same tactic to open his bedroom door as he had with the front, his shoulders sagged in disappointment. At the sight of his trashed room, Sanji immediately regretted pissing off his brother in such a petty fashion. It wasn’t like he hadn’t known something like this would happen, and he had goaded the other man anyway.

Letting out a heavy sigh, he set down his bag and slowly began picking up his stuff of the floor. Returning papers to his desk and clothes to his drawers - it had been a long time since Sanji had had anything breakable in his room as it had been destroyed years ago by any one of his brothers on numerous occasions. Just as he was about satisfied with how clear he’d managed to get the floor, the sound of his door opening had him spinning around but a moment too late.

Someone tackled him and clamped a hand over his mouth as another wrestled his arms behind his back to pin them up in a painful lock. Both then began shoving him from his room as Sanji already had some idea of where he was being dragged off to. Fighting as best as he could in the hold, he managed to reef his jaw out of - who he could now see was Ichiji’s grasp - and began flailing even harder as he hissed over his shoulder, “Fucking let me go!”

“Shut up, twerp!” Niji grunted as he continued to struggle to keep a grip on Sanji’s wrists as he guided him through the house, “Or you’ll wake Dad.”

Sanji was tempted to tell Niji to suck a cock, but the idea of having to face their father after waking him up in the middle of the night was something he’d rather not do. Besides, whatever the three of them were planning for Sanji would be child's play in comparison to a pissed off Judge that got woken up because they were fighting.

Out in the backyard, Niji finally released him with an aggressive shove that sent Sanji stumbling out onto the grass. Catching himself, he glanced back at his two other brothers who watched silently from the porch, before turning to face Yonji who had been standing in the yard waiting for him.

“You serious?” Sanji scoffed, “I’m tired and don’t have time for your shit.”

“And I told you you’d be fucking dead for your attitude earlier.” Yonji sneered, and it was then that Sanji noticed the bat that his brother had clutched at his side. Eyes tracking it nervously as Yonji raised it to level on Sanji as he ordered, “Take it back.”

“Punch rocks.” Sanji snarled.

Rage morphed Yonji’s face into something even uglier than usual and he was lunging at Sanji with a furious growl, bat raised. Leaping back, Sanji barely jumped out of the way of the wild swing in time that managed to clip his shirt and send a chill down his spine with how serious Yonji was taking this.

It became a game of cat and mouse as it was all Sanji could do to avoid each strike Yonji made in an attempt to take off his head with the damned bat. Occasionally able to block and kick aside a strike that was aimed lower and had a bit less power to it; it wasn’t like they hadn’t brawled before and Sanji was more than capable at keeping his brothers at bay whenever they got into fights.

With a final harsh swing, the bat clipped Sanji in the side and managed to force a pained scream from him that sent him stumbling back and had his knees buckling. Biting back the rest of his scream, all four of them cast a trepadcious look towards the house and when no movement could be detected, Yonji and Sanji were facing off once more.

A gleeful look took on Yonji’s face as he reiterated, “Apologize, fuckhead!”

Hand falling to his side, it took all Sanji had not to wince as the pain was causing him some difficulty breathing. Deciding to not risk speaking lest his voice waver, Sanji simply channeled all his anger into a dark scowl and slowly shook his head. Adding in a vulgar hand gesture to complete the notion.

Yonji’s face fell and he came striding over with a look of murderous intent on his face. Reeling the bat over his shoulder and winding up to hit Sanji as hard as he could with it as Sanji only squared off and watched him near. He was more than happy to use Yonji’s rage to his advantage and finish this stupid fight.

Right as Yonji swung, Sanji dropped low and kicked straight up. Heel connecting with Yonji’s hands and sending the bat sailing out of his grasp to land off somewhere on the lawn, and before Yonji had the chance to even glance back to see where it was, Sanji was stepping forward and bring his leg up in a vicious kick. Foot planting directly on Yonji’s face as he sent his brother sailing across the yard with a pained crack and a yelp.

Pain flared up his side but he managed to bite it down - not wanting Yonji to know just how good a hit he had managed to get in - glaring at the man who lay curled up on the lawn clutching his face. Hand coming down to wrap around himself, he pressed it against his side in an attempt to ease some of the pressure from the blow to his side. With a final distasteful look, Sanji turned and limped his way up the back steps and across the porch, pointedly not meeting either of his brothers stares.

At least he knew that his brothers wouldn’t try any shit when he had won the fight fair and square; it wasn’t necessarily a rule they had always followed, but if anything it showed that even the worst could learn some redeeming qualities. Making his way as silently as he could through the house, he purposefully held his breath while passing his father’s room to not risk waking him, before heading upstairs.

Shoving his way into his bedroom, Sanji managed to lock the door behind himself before slumping to the floor and clutching his side. A pained wheeze that he had been holding in slid out as the full brunt of Yonji’s blow was sinking in and he was finally able to drop the facade without the asshole figuring out how badly he had actually managed to hurt him.

Tears stung the corner of his eyes and Sanji tilted his head back in an attempt to keep them from actually falling, not wanting to give Yonji the satisfaction of managing to get a single tear out of him. Gulping down a few harsh breaths he eventually got a handle on the pain and even managed to get the urge to cry to subside before feeling ready to deal with his wounds.

Slowly pushing himself to his feet and divesting his clothes down to his boxers, Sanji cast a quick glance in the mirror at his side, already swollen and turning red and was sure to look a mess in the morning. Refraining from heaving another sigh - the action putting too much stress on his ribs - Sanji turned towards his bed and climbed under the covers. Easing his body back into as comfortable a position as he could, he let his mind go blank.

~7:54am~

Pulling up in front of his father’s house, Zoro sat in his truck for several minutes and simply enjoyed the quiet tranquility before entering what he knew would be an hour of excruciatingly invasive conversations. With a reluctant sigh, he hopped out of his vehicle and made his way up the extravagant front steps, and had to barely wait a couple seconds after ringing the gaudy doorbell before the portal was being ripped open and Perona was huffing in his face.

“You’re late.”

“Yeah. Yeah.” Zoro grunted and shouldered his way past her, kicking off his shoes and keeping an elbow out to keep her at least a foot away so when she shouted it wasn’t directly in his ear. “I know.”

“We’ve been waiting for you so we can start!” Perona stamped her foot, and sure enough yelped far louder than was necessary into his ear, “You know, like a normal family; and now it’s gotten cold because you decided to sleep in, you jerk!”

Zoro just rolled his eyes and tossed his jacket in the general direction of the coat rack, revelling in the annoyed shriek from Perona as he ditched her and made for the dining room. Mihawk was already there and dressed for the day, sitting in his favourite chair at the head of the table, sipping on a cup of black coffee and reading that morning’s paper. Upon Zoro entering the room, he look up and greeted, “Zoro.”

Zoro inclined his head.

After which he took a seat and poured himself his own cup of coffee and waited for the next hour to pass by. Sitting in silence with his father was easy enough, but dealing with Perona always made it a little tougher as she didn’t much like silence, and loved being snippy.

Coasting into the dining room with a pan in hand, she made a beeline for Zoro and was already brandishing a spatula to give him whatever weird concoction she had decided to make for them that week. It was always something far too sweet, or something experimental that usually tasted of hot garbage.

“Eggs and toast is fine.” Zoro waved off Perona’s annoying advances with the pan she had poised in her hands, “Get that shit away from me.”

“Ugh!” Perona stamped her foot before wailing indignantly - an odd action to see a woman in her late twenties pull off, “You’re such a dick!”

“Zoro, I prefer my morning coffee as silently as possible.” Mihawk intoned without looking up from his paper, “Perona came by an hour early to prepare everything so you’re gonna try it, and like it.”

Staring down the old man for several moments, Zoro tried to ascertain whether or not Mihawk was being serious. When no such indication was given, Zoro sighed defeatedly and turned to look up at Perona as she watched him with a triumphant smile. As much as he enjoyed quality time with his family, Sunday breakfast at his father’s house was always incredibly trying to get through.

Shoving one of the free plates on the table towards his sister reluctantly, Zoro watched as she loaded it high with waffles before smothering it in some sort of chocolate sauce, topping the whole thing off with whip and strawberries before shoving it back towards Zoro, looking at him expectantly. When the silence stretched a tad long, she gritted out through her teeth, “You’re welcome…”

“Ah, yeah, thanks.” Picking up a fork, Zoro picked at his plate for several moments before gathering some of the sugary mess onto the tines and tried not to think about how much it was going to hurt his teeth. Taking a bite, he chewed for a second or two before glancing up at Perona and adding an unconvincing, “Mmm.” for good measure.

A wicked smile lit up her face, and she turned to leave as Zoro had a suspicion she couldn’t give two shits whether he liked it or not so long as she got her way. Finishing chewing and swallowing the sweet mess, Zoro cast a disdainful look at his father who had returned to his paper but still managed to add, “Was that so bad?”

Zoro decided not to answer.

Perona rejoined them with her own plate, and without even touching it, began regaling both of them with a multitude of stories from work. Zoro ignored all of it as he continued to silently eat, while Mihawk gave small noises of acknowledgement every few minutes that were too conveniently timed for him to actually be listening to anything he had to say.

“--and then he said he liked my teddy bear display so I stopped putting laxatives in his lunch.”

“Wow,” Ignoring the chilling thought of Perona slipping things into people’s food and that fact that Zoro had just ate something prepared by her, Zoro responded in a completely monotonous tone, “sounds like you two are made for each other.”

“Naw, he’s not my type.” Chin falling to her hand as she pouted, “Not cute enough. It’s such a pain; there’s no cute boys out there.”

“I’m sure you’ll find someone, dear.” Mihawk intoned, and Zoro knew that man was being sincere in the dullest way possible, however he always found a way to sound patronizing when he tried to reassure her. Luckily, Perona never seemed to catch onto it.

“How about you Zoro~?” Perona jeered as she rounded on him, “Gonna settle down anytime soon? Or are you still just picking up floozies after work?”

“You’re the oldest.” Zoro shrugged around a mouthful of food, trying not to think about how the sweetness was killing his teeth. Downing the last bite in relief, he straightened in his seat, grabbed his coffee, and grunted, “You get on it before your eggs start drying up, and then maybe I’ll think about it.”

“You’re such a twat.”

Raising his cup of coffee in a mock toast, he nodded towards her, “Learned it from the best.”

“It’s probably for the best.” Perona huffed, arms crossing as she turned away from him childishly. Glancing back over her shoulder and adding, “Any kids you had would be ugly, little green monsters.”

“You’re not wrong.” Zoro murmured into his coffee, eyes wandering over to Mihawk where Zoro could’ve swore he saw a flicker of a smile crook the corner of the grumpy man’s face. Setting down his cup as he turned back to Perona and added, “Though you’d think when adopting you’d pick better looking children, ain’t that right, Mihawk?”

“Oi!” Perona shrilled, “I’m not part of this!”

“I worked with what I was dealt,” Mihawk muttered without glancing up.

That comment sent Zoro into a spiral of uproarious laughter as Perona began shrieking indignantly, launching out of her chair and screaming empty threats at their father who simply ignored them both. Even after Zoro laughed himself out, there were still tears in his eyes as Perona was still throwing a tantrum. Wiping them away, Zoro sat there - coffee in hand - watching his family and he had to admit that he wouldn’t trade these two insane people in for the world.

~9:24am~

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror in nothing but his pajama bottoms, Sanji assessed himself as he waited for the shower to heat up. A massive bruise had formed in the middle of the night to cover a large portion of his ribs; twisting his body side to side, he found the initial motion caused a hiss to slip from between his teeth, but the more he moved it the less agitated it became. A final test with his thumb found the area incredibly sensitive to pressure, but after a little prodding, was thankfully able to ascertain that Yonji hadn’t managed to break anything.

“Really, Yonji?” Sanji muttered to himself, “A fucking bat…”

Letting his hands fall to his sides, Sanji let out a huff as he stared himself down balefully. It was his fault for getting Yonji all riled up for no good reason, but at least it was an injury that wouldn’t be too difficult to hide. Turning to test the temperature of the water, he divested himself of his pants and hopped in. The shower helped to ease some of the stiffness and when he was done, he felt remarkably better.

Returning to his bedroom, Sanji felt his stomach drop to the floor as his dresser had obviously been pillaged in his absence and all of his shirts had been taken. Checking his hamper and some of his other drawers, he found that Yonji had managed to completely clear him out except for one horribly white shirt he had been left on Sanji’s bed.

Picking it up by the shoulders, Sanji let the shirt unfurl to display large words written in black marker and had to refrain from rolling his eyes at his brother’s lack of imagination. Not only was it unoriginal, but the lack of proper spelling was also a really nice touch.

im  
a  
dum  
fuck

Throwing it down on his desk and snatching up a marker, Sanji altered it as best he could before pulling it on and throwing a hoodie on over top. He’d be a bit hot considering it was summer, but it’d have to do until he could get his shirts back.

Grabbing his pack, he bolted down the stairs two at a time with the full intent of getting out of the house as soon as possible lest he run in Yonji. He was nearly out the door when a gruff voice called after him, and judging from the livid tone it wasn’t going to end well, “Where you think you’re going, boy?”

Freezing in his tracks, Sanji’s shoulders were already hunching as he turned to face his father who was standing in the doorway to the kitchen. Yonji at his side looking worse for wear as the blow from last night had caused a glorious bruise to spread across his face; both eyes bloodshot, sockets dark and swollen, and the entirety of his nose covered by large bandages.

Seemed like Sanji had actually managed to break Yonji’s nose; he tried not to let his glee show.

Judge however, looked the exact opposite of happy as he grunted, “What I tell you guys about breaking bones?”

Biting down on his tongue, Sanji decided against pointing out that he hadn’t technically broken a bone, knowing that that kind of comment wouldn’t make his case any better. Instead, he responded with a murmur, “To not to.”

“What’s this then?” Judge jerked his thumb towards his brother’s face, and when he didn’t immediately continue it let Sanji know that the question was not meant to be taken rhetorically. Hand tightening its hold on his pack strap, Sanji knew Judge was just putting him through the motions, but it would almost be easier for the man to just go ahead and get straight to the disciplining.

Head falling forward in what was meant to be a polite inclination, Sanji tried not to sneer as he answered, “A broken nose.”

“Yeah, that’s what the nurse said.” Judge grunted, “So you wanna tell me why you think it’s okay to break my rule?”

“He--” Sanji bit his tongue against ratting his other brother out, knowing there was no point as he simply dropped the whole thing and shook his head. Judge had a lot of rules, and whether Sanji had a good reason for breaking them or not, the man never wanted to hear any of his excuses.

“That’s what I thought.” Judge growled, pointing at the ground as he commanded, “Get over here.”

White knuckle grip on his strap slackening, Sanji let his backpack slip from his shoulder and fall to the floor before shuffling forward to where his father and brother stood. Judge cast a glance to Yonji before gesturing invitingly to Sanji as he came to a stop in front of them. A malicious grin lit up Yonji’s - still very swollen - face, cracking his knuckles in anticipation as he stepped forward to return the favour from last night. Knowing better than to block the hit, Sanji braced himself for the fist that was lashing out towards him.

The strike connected in his side, and it was by no accident that his brother aimed for the spot he had managed to strike with the bat. Pain flared up his side and before Sanji could help it he was falling to his knees with a pained scream.

Hunched over on the floor, Sanji dry heaved from the force of the blow that had caused him to become winded from the shock and pain. A thick line of saliva trailed from his mouth, hanging open in pain until he managed to draw in a large, desperate gasp and felt the panic - that had begun to cause his heart to stutter erratically - taper off. Still panting heavily in a bid to recover from the blow, Sanji scowled at the floor and bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from saying anything.

A couple more months… he only had to put up with this bullshit for a couple more months.

Slowly pushing himself to his feet, Sanji stumbled as the pain to his side coupled with the soreness from yesterday nearly had him falling back on his ass. Steadying himself with a hand on the wall, Sanji kept a protective hand wrapped around his side as he finally raised his gaze to his father - ignoring Yonji’s jeering - who had nothing but a cold glare to offer.

“Seems like you learned your lesson.”

Still panting heavily through the pain, Sanji just watched his father through the mess of his bangs currently hanging in front of his face. Eventually giving a stiff nod in agreement, but doing nothing to hide the venom in his glare.

“Good.” Judge grunted, flicking a hand to dismiss him before turning away, “Get outta here.”

Shuffling over to his discarded bag, he carefully picked it up with his free hand and slung it onto his shoulder with a wince, still keeping his other hand pressed to his side. Shoving his feet lazily into his unlaced shoes, he didn't bother to do them up as he made his way out the front door as fast as possible.

~1:34pm~

“Alright, let’s switch.” Zoro ordered a tad breathlessly, straightening his stance and with his hands planted on his hips let his head fall back into a long stretch. Letting up a bit earlier than normal, but Perona’s breakfast was not sitting well with him, and while he didn’t think she spiked it with anything, he had a hunch he was going to feel uncomfortably sticky and full all day.

Relaxing his stance and releasing the punching back, Luffy leaned against it and watched as Zoro retrieved his water bottle, chuckling to himself softly before noting, “You’re lazy today.”

“Yeah. Yeah.” Zoro waved the younger man off, pausing for a minute to chug back a large portion of the bottle. Releasing it with a relieved sigh and running the back of his hand across his mouth before explaining, “Just an off day; Perona made waffles.”

“What?!” Luffy piqued instantly, nearly indignant as he strode over, “And you didn’t invite me?!”

“My mistake.” Zoro rolled his eyes, placing his water bottle aside in favour of nabbing up Luffy’s gloves and tossing them at the still annoyed man, “I’ll bring you along next time.”

“No, no; you have to warn me.” Luffy waved Zoro off with a scowl, pulling on a glove before murmuring venomously, “Last time I came, she made vegan hash and it sucked.”

“Alright,” Zoro chuckled, “I’ll let her know ahead of time.”

“And make sure there’s bacon!” Luffy ordered, pointing a gloved hand at Zoro and wailing, “What’s the point of breakfast if you can’t have bacon?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Zoro reassured the guy, “I’ll let her know…”

Luffy finally seemed satisfied and took his place in front of the punching bag before waiting for Zoro to take his place behind it. Bracing it as best he could as Luffy began stepping into his set, switching between low and high strikes first before moving on to jabs.

“By the way, Lu, I picked up an extra shift on Thursday down at Elbaf.” Zoro waited for Luffy to take a break between sets before asking, “Think you can cover?”

“Sorry, I got a match that evening.” Luffy paused and let his gloves lower for a moment before asking, “What about Sanji?”

“Huh.” The thoughtful noise left Zoro’s lips before he realized he had made it, going back to holding the bag as Luffy began another set of strikes. It had completely slipped his mind, but after months of planning shifts around the four of them, he had completely forgotten he now had a new person on staff, “Completely forgot about him.”

Speaking of Sanji, the kid had... well, he had grown up.

Reiju had been correct in her claims that the guy wasn’t the same immature kid he had remembered; the Sanji he had worked with last night was mature, confident, and a bit on the smarmy side, but certainly not any bit the rambunctious dickhead Zoro remembered them all being. That didn’t necessarily mean Zoro was ready to go marching over and meet all of Reiju’s brothers again, but it was at least nice knowing they had managed to grow up a bit.

“Do you remember Sanji at all?” At Luffy’s pause, and look of confusion, Zoro amended, “At school.”

“Not really.” Luffy huffed out between punches, following through with several aggressive strikes before pulling back and bouncing on the balls of his feet. Hands raised, he hummed thoughtfully, “I like him though.”

“He doesn’t seem too bad.” Zoro agreed cautiously. While Sanji seemed like a great kid, it was clear he already knew Nami and Usopp from school, and that didn’t bode well. The two of them already gave him enough headaches as it was, adding a third into the mix might just be his limit, “Not like any of his brothers that’s for sure.”

“I kinda remember them.” Luffy offhandedly commented, finishing his set and taking a step back. Resting his gloved hands on his hips as he informed Zoro rather cheerfully, “They were in first year when I was in fourth; all kinda angry.”

“Yeah,” Releasing the bag and straightening, Zoro gave Luffy a few minutes to rest while chuckling, “that’s them.”

“Ace didn’t like their father much.”

“He was a bit of an ass.” Zoro scratched absently at his jaw. There was never any evidence of him actually doing anything to the kids, but something always seemed off with them. “Rei didn’t want us getting involved. Made us promise; infuriated Ace to no end.”

“Is everything okay now?”

“I don’t know, I guess?” Zoro shrugged, “She finally moved to Germany so I’m assuming things got better.”

“Well, we gotta make him feel welcome; we need to have a movie night for him.” Luffy grinned while slamming his gloves together in excitement, “We haven’t had one of those in forever!”

“Sure, why not.” Zoro crossed his arms casually, “What’d you have in mind? Old or new?”

“New.” Luffy said definitively, making his way back over to the bag and waiting for Zoro as he explained, “We got White Horse in a week early.”

“Ugh,” Zoro made a face, “Cavendish? I hate his movies; the plot is always fucking awful.”

Not to mention, any time they got any big name movie in theatre - especially something with Cavendish in it - the film would end up staying upwards of a month and drive Zoro crazy. There were only so many times he could handle hearing the same shitty movie played back to back every shift for a couple weeks before he wanted to gouge his ears out.

Gloved hands lashing out, Luffy gripped the front of Zoro’s shirt as best as they could given their bulk, and he began jerking Zoro’s shirt in an aggressive attempt to shake the other man. “But the action scenes are so cool!”

“You got me there.” Zoro conceded begrudgingly, untangling Luffy’s hold on him and shoving the guy away back in front of the bag so he could get on with his next set already. Heaving a defeated sigh as he gave in, “Fine. We’ll do it Wednesday.”

“Yosh!” Luffy cheered, hand striking out in excitement and hitting the bag as hard as he could and an unprepared Zoro taking the brunt of the swinging bag to his face. Zoro’s pained grunt completely drowned out by Luffy’s ecstatic yell, “Unlimited popcorn!”

~11:47pm~

“Can you believe that one man wanting the refund after sitting through, like, nine tenths of the movie?” Nami scoffed as she pulled off her work shirt and hung it in her locker. Taking a moment to shake out her hair from the ponytail it had been forced to be in for her work shift, “I swear, I take no greater pleasure than denying men a refund.”

“That doesn’t surprise me at all.” Usopp muttered snidely before turning to Sanji with a wide grin, “I got her beat though; lady yesterday wanted a refund on her popcorn cause it was too salty, but she’d already eaten the whole bag.”

“I gotta go Nami on this one.” Sanji chuckled as he pulled open his locker, keeping a hand on the door to keep it angled out of his face so he could keep looking at Usopp as he rationalized, “It’s clearly just an asshole who threw a fit afterwards because he wanted to get the movie for free; probably didn’t even hate the movie.”

Usopp’s eyes narrowed, “You just picked her because she has tits.”

A raised hand and a large grin was all Sanji offered as he agreed, “Guilty.”

“A win’s a win.” Shoving between the two boys, Nami shouldered Usopp’s locker door shut as she bared down on him. A playful smirk twisting her lips as she held out her hand towards the other man, making an impatient gesture with her fingers before prompting, “Pay up.”

“Fine!” Usopp conceded as he threw his arms in the air in defeat before he dug a dollar bill from his pocket and slapped it down in her extended hand, “You win this week.”

Dollar bill in hand, Nami folded it between her fingers expertly before slipping it into her bra. Turning away with a pleased smile to finish getting her things, as Usopp pulled open his locker that Nami had so ceremoniously slammed shut on him.

Sanji still not entirely certain what he had just helped vote on as he asked, “What even is this?”

“Every Sunday we offer up our worst customer interaction of the week and vote on which was worse.” Nami explained as she pulled her jacket and purse from her locker, closing it before turning to face Sanji, “Winner gets a dollar.”

“Why?”

“Why not?” Nami huffed, “If I’m gonna get yelled at by a middle aged woman for not having a gluten free option at a damned movie theatre, then I’m at least gonna have some fun with it.”

“And no one minds?”

At that moment Zoro waltzed into the breakroom - having supposedly just finished cashing out the last till - to add rather succinctly, “I could give two fucks.”

A bright smile lit up Nami’s face, and she made a happy gesture towards the man to indicate that all was okay.

“Anyway, you’re going to be here regularly now.” Nami grinned, “You can play next Sunday.”

“Fantastic.” Sanji tried not to let his voice sound too sardonic as he chuckled, “I look forward to getting yelled at by strangers.”

“Eh, it’s not so bad. It’s only the big dudes that are really scary when they start screaming.” Usopp reassured as he grabbed the last of his things. Jerking his thumb over his shoulder, “I’m giving Nami a ride home; you want one?”

“Thanks, man, but I brought my bike.” Sanji waved him off, “Really appreciate the offer though.”

“Alright, well maybe next time.” Usopp shrugged, slinging on his laptop bag as he made his way out of the breakroom, “I’ll see you at my place tomorrow though, yeah?”

“Absolutely.”

“See you later, Sanji!” Nami crooned pleasantly as she followed after Usopp, sending Zoro a much less sweet look as she nodded, “Later.”

Waving them off, Sanji turned back to his locker and began pulling out his things. Dropping his pack at his feet as he wrestled his work shirt off and tossed it into his locker before scooping up his hoodie, about to pull it on when he felt like he was being watched and he turned to find Zoro watching him with a curious look morphing his face. Trying to not let the stare get to him, Sanji fought down a blush as he stammered nervously, “What?”

Jerking his head down towards Sanji’s shirt, Zoro asked, “‘I’m a dumb duck’?”

Sanji’s face scrunched up in confusion before the events of that morning came back rather vividly and his head was snapping down to look at the shirt he had had to alter that morning. Placing a hand to his forehead in exasperation as it seemed that as far as Zoro was concerned, Sanji really was unable to get a break.

“Yeah,” he sighed, “Yeah, I am.”

That only caused Zoro to look more confused.

Placing a hand on his hip to properly expose the shirt to the older man, he waved a hand in front of it disparagingly, “My brother thinks he’s a comedian.”

Frowning, Zoro took a step forward and Sanji hated how much it put into perspective how much taller the other man was. Zoro leaned down to take a closer look at the shirt and finally noticed the lines on what used to be the ‘f’ that Sanji had managed to salvage into a ‘d’. Pulling back with a less impressed look on his face as he commented, “Seems like an asshole.”

“He is.” Sanji agreed.

“You couldn’t just wear another shirt?”

“If I could don’t you think I would?” Sanji sassed, huffing before properly answering the man’s earlier question, “No. He hid all my shirts and no doubt has done something unspeakable to them. I’ll find them later.”

Turning back to his locker, Sanji tried not to think about all the horrible things Yonji may have done with his clothes, hopefully it was only something mild like the time he took all off Sanji’s pants, put them out on the lawn, and doused them with the hose. Unlike his pants, he actually had a few shirts he actually liked and he prayed Yonji hadn’t smeared them with dog shit or something.

“Here.” Zoro’s voice pulled Sanji from his shudder inducing thought, in time to see the man pull a neatly folded black shirt from his locker. Zoro tossed it to Sanji so the blond wouldn’t have any way of refusing, before speaking in a tone that sounded more like an order than an offer, “Take my spare.”

“I…” Sanji wanted to refuse purely on principle that it felt pathetic being given another man’s shirt, however, a much more love struck part of him held the fabric with reverence. Stomping down the squirming sensation in his stomach and muttering softly, “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” Zoro shrugged, gesturing to Sanji, “And throw that out.”

Placing the shirt on the edge of his locker, Sanji’s hands fell to the hem of his shirt as he made a motion to remove it before halting in his tracks. Acutely aware of Zoro nearby and the very noticeable bruise on his side from Yonji that had grown in size after getting hit again thanks to Judge deciding to make his point that morning. Yonji’s nose probably hurt worse, but it didn’t make Sanji’s hurt any less.

Regardless of how he got it though, he was certainly not ready to have someone else see - least of all someone he might have to explain it to - and he really, really did not want to have this particular talk with Zoro of all people. So now, he just stood in place with his shirt half off like an idiot, not entirely sure how to get out of this mortifying situation as he awkwardly hummed, “Uhhh…”

“What?”

Sanji looked over at the older man, uncomfortable agony clear on his face as he really hoped Zoro wasn’t going to make him say it. It was already embarrassing enough he had to pretend he was shy about showing his body to Zoro, he didn’t want to have to spell it out for him too. It would make him sound like even more of a virgin than he already was.

For his part, Zoro just seemed confused - almost concerned - until a dawning look of realization had him opening his mouth and uttering a soft, “Ah.” before turning his back to the blond. Going about taking off his own work shirt in the meantime while giving Sanji some privacy. “Didn't take you as the modest type.”

“I--” Sanji refrained from correcting the other man, as he most certainly wasn’t modest, but decided to take the hit in exchange for not having to discuss his injuries. He quickly divested himself of the horrible shirt provided by Yonji, and pulled on Zoro’s, noting how, the second he pulled it on, it felt like he was drowning in the man’s musk and Sanji began to beg for the sweet, merciful release of death.

“Good?”

Taking a moment to not choke on his words, Sanji coughed before muttering, “Yeah, thanks.”

Turning back to his locker, Zoro finished pulling out his own belongings before slamming it shut. Sanji following suit though still thoroughly distracted by the soft fabric of the other man’s shirt and how it hung far too baggy on his slighter frame.

“You know… the duck thing ain’t half bad.” Zoro mused as he began to make his way out of the break room. Sanji following after, killing the lights before joining Zoro in the hallway, just in time to see the man was make a flaring gesture with his hand over his own head, “When you were like, nine, your hair did that thing where it looked like a duck’s butt.”

“No, it didn’t!” Sanji cheeks heated up as the last thing he needed was for Zoro of all people to bring up his unflattering years as a prepubescent - lashing out on instinct and kicking the man in the shin, “Take it back, asshat.”

Both of them froze on the spot as Sanji realized the ramifications of what he had just done, and Zoro was no doubt shocked that Sanji had just done something so monumentally stupid. After a few seconds of silence, Sanji finally got the courage to look up at Zoro who arched a brow and chuckled, “Did you just kick your boss?”

Deciding to double down, Sanji nodded, “Yup.”

Another round of laughter shook the man’s shoulders before he eventually shook it off, looking at Sanji again with that smile that caused the blond’s brain to short circuit unhelpfully and made his tongue feel swollen in his mouth. That wry grin never left Zoro’s face as he reached out and ruffled Sanji’s hair aggressively, “You really haven’t changed, dumb duck.”

Zoro’s stupidly attractive smile, and the sensation of his hand being dragged through Sanji’s hair was enough to distract Sanji for several long moments. Knowing, shamefully, that the feeling of Zoro’s hand in his hair was going to supply him with multiple fantasies that he really shouldn’t indulge. It distracted him long enough to allow Zoro to begin to walk away and make for the door of the theatre before Sanji even realized what the man had said and he was bolting after him with an indignant, “OI!”

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I realize that in cases of suspected child abuse - even if there's no evidence - it is public responsibility to report it. Given that, don't think badly of Ace, Zoro, or Reiju(and all the other adults in the fic) as the fic goes along, it should clear up why each character did what they did, and why they thought it was the right thing at the time. As well as why Sanji's situation wasn't handled as well as it could of been.


	3. June 5th

~12:15am~

****

Rounding the last corner onto his street, Sanji leaned heavily on the handlebar of his bmx as he coasted the last few houses until he reached his driveway. Veering up it, he placed the heel of his sneaker on the back tire to slow down until he came to a rolling stop just before the garage door; ditching the bike on the lawn before making his way inside the dark house.

****

Unlike last time, his trip to his room was uneventful, and once he got his door closed, he slumped against it as all the embarrassment of the evening came flooding through. Arms crossed on his knees, Sanji hid his face in them as it felt like his blush had just engulfed his whole body. He still couldn’t quite believe what he had done only an hour ago, and how stupidly he had acted.

****

He had  _ kicked _ Zoro.

****

After vehemently imploring to not only his sister, but the man in question as well, that he had matured past all that childish behaviour, and then he had gone right ahead and kicked the man in the shin. Not to mention after calling him a rather childish name… So much for being grown up…

****

“Ughhh…” A heavy sigh caused Sanji to slump further down into the door as he couldn’t stop his mind from drifting to the way Zoro’s hand had ruffled his hair, or that dumb smile that had lit up his face, or that stupid moniker that had just embarrassed Sanji more than actually pissed him off. If he was being entirely honest, it wasn’t even the name that had caused him to lash out, it had been the heart stopping sensation of Zoro’s soft smile being directed his way that caused him to kick the man out of sheer bloody panic.

****

Letting a leg fall to the floor, he shimmied his phone out of his pocket and stared down at the locked screen for several moments in trepidation. Zoro and Rei had been best friends all through school, and he had promised her he wasn’t going to stir up shit, and he had no doubt in his mind that him kicking Zoro wouldn’t not come up in conversation between the two.

****

Thumb sliding across the familiar unlock pattern, Sanji begrudgingly pulled up his sisters number and typed in a reluctant message;

****

**Sanji 12:22am: Okay, so you were right… I may have kicked Zoro.**

****

Closing the phone immediately after, Sanji let his head fall back to thump against the door softly as he really,  _ really, _ needed to get a handle on this whole stupid crush. Honestly, it had surprised even him to find out how prevalent his feelings would be after such a long time, how they had gotten worse was beyond him.

****

Eyes sliding shut, he was immediately accosted by the image of Zoro and that dumb laugh that shook his shoulders. And lit up his face in a bright smile; that stupid, perfect smile… Heart fluttering at the very thought, Sanji’s eyes slid open and he grumbled, “Damn it…”

****

With a heavy sigh, Sanji pushed himself to his feet and decided to just sleep this whole thing off. He would probably feel much more confident to face the man tomorrow after a good night’s rest. Or at least look him in the eye and apologize properly for his inappropriate behaviour.

****

Fishing his cigarette pack from his pocket, Sanji tossed it on the night stand before shucking off his pants and making for the bed. Pulling off Zoro’s shirt as he went and finding himself momentarily suffocated by the man’s musk before he managed to get it over his head.

****

Staring down at the garment lumped in his hands, an urge took over Sanji that had his face lighting up with an all new wave of embarrassment as he really couldn’t stand the depravity of his own body. Hands trembling as he cast a glance around his empty room - knowing it was absolutely foolish and stupidly paranoid - before looking back down at the shirt and swallowing thickly.

****

Lips pressing into a thin line, Sanji choked back any and all remaining dignity and pressed the shirt into his face and inhaled sharply. A groan leaving him and his knees buckling for a second as the sweet aroma that filled his senses hit him like a truck; it was a thick, heavy musk that was overlaid with a hint of whatever soap the man used to wash his laundry; it was terrifyingly intoxicating.

****

It was so incredibly unique, and intimate, and Sanji had to muffle a frustrated groan into the shirt before pulling it away and attempting to compose himself. Refraining from doing it a second time and coming across as a lunatic, Sanji tossed the shirt on the back of a nearby chair and climbed into bed. Face still burning from his blush, heart hammering in his chest with want, and a stupid, naive sensation of yearning making his whole body ache.

****

Knowing he had no one to blame but himself for not trying harder to curtail these blasted feelings. Curling in tight around his blankets, Sanji tried desperately to reign in the emotions he’d just managed to send into overdrive with that little shirt stint as he berated himself, “Stupid…”

****

A soft buzzing from his phone had Sanji reaching out to nab his cell from the night table and squint through the darkness at the text illuminated there;

****

**Reiju 12:24am: Hahahahahahah**

****

His sister’s laughter eased some of his worry, and as he set the phone aside he was at least relieved to know that his bright idea to kick Zoro hadn’t backfired in anyway. But as he tried to settle down to fall asleep he wished he could laugh off this soul crushing infatuation with Zoro just as easily...

****

~1:01am~

****

Stumbling into his apartment, Zoro divested himself of his bags before ducking into the kitchen to put the kettle on before finally allowing himself to wind down after the long day. Leaving the water to boil, Zoro went about shedding his clothes and tossed them in the laundry basket beside his dresser on his way to the bathroom. Glancing down at where Sanji had clipped him earlier and froze; eyes zeroing in on the red bump on his shin that was already beginning to tinge a proper blue.

****

A bruise…

****

The little shit had actually managed to leave a bruise.

****

Snatching up his phone, Zoro thumbed through his contacts until he found Rei’s name and lazily punched out a snide message;

****

**Zoro 1:04am: You lied. The little shit still likes to kick.**

****

Tossing the phone aside, Zoro headed to have a quick shower as he still couldn’t believe the gall of the kid to actually kick him. Mind, he had been making fun of him so it was only fair. A grin broke out across his face and Zoro found himself chuckling to himself at the memory of the indignant look on Sanji’s face when he had called him a duck; a kick here or there was more than worth it to see that hilarious expression.

****

After a hot shower and quick shave, Zoro was stepping back out of the bathroom. Toweling off his hair while striding nude into his apartment, Zoro paused by his bed to snatch up his phone to see Rei’s response;

****

**Reiju 1:05am: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA**

****

Rolling his eyes, he tossed the phone aside and dug through the dresser beside his bed until he found a pair of sweats and clean shirt to pull on. Flipping open the laptop on his desk, he waited for it to boot up so he could deal with some of his bills - thankfully, he didn’t have any shifts at the gym tomorrow morning, so he’d be able to sleep in as much as he wanted to tomorrow - and shuffled into the small kitchen to make a cup of tea to keep him awake for the time being.

****

~8:23am~

****

Sanji awoke to a persistent hammering on his bedroom door, followed shortly after by retreating footsteps, and barely concealed laughter. Running a hand over his face, Sanji bit back a grumble of annoyance as it seemed the next day’s torture at the hands of his brother had just begun. Pushing himself out of bed, he nabbed Zoro’s shirt - and currently the only one he owned - off the back of his chair and pulled it on.

****

Nabbing his packet of cigarettes off his bedside table, he shoved them into his boxer’s pocket and shuffled over to his bedroom door. Body tense in case something might get thrown at him, Sanji pulled open the door only to relax upon seeing no one on the other side. Eyes flicking to the sticky note stuck to the outside of his door, plucking it off the wood to properly read it;

****

_ ‘Check the grill.’ _

****

Shoulders deflating under the weight of his sigh, Sanji tossed the note aside and made his way downstairs already suspecting what he might find. Stepping out onto the back porch and into the heat of the hot summer morning, Sanji padded across the deck and over to the barbeque stationed near the back railing. Without much fanfare, he lifted the hatch to reveal a pile of singed clothing that he knew beyond a doubt used to be his shirts.

****

It was a testament to Yonji’s behaviour that he wasn’t even surprised at this point, let alone annoyed enough to actually get angry at his brother. Scooping up the mass of blackened fabric, he took the steps into the back yard and made his way barefoot across the lawn as he rounded the house and went out front to toss all of it into the trash bin by the garage door.

****

As he finished shutting the lid, his hand barely moved away before something hit him on the top of the head and he was suddenly drenched in a spray of water, soaking his hair and the only shirt he now had left thanks to Zoro. He stood for several moments - hand still resting on the lid of the trash bin - trying to reign in his growing rage.

****

Raucous laughter echoed out onto the driveway and Sanji slowly looked up to see Yonji leaning out of the upstairs bathroom window with a wide grin on his face and another water balloon already poised in his hand. At least the sight of his swollen face made Sanji feel a little bit better.

****

“Told ya you’d regret it, didn’t I?”

****

Wiping a mass of wet hair out of his face, Sanji just looked up at Yonji with distaste as he flicked his hand towards the garbage bin, “Not bad. Your ex teach you this nifty little trick?”

****

“At least I have an ex, you fucking loser.” Yonji sneered.

****

“What?” Sanji mused with a goading waggle of his eyebrows, “You guys break up cause he got tired of fucking your lame ass?”

****

“Your lame ass!” Yonji snarled the juvenile comeback as he whipped the other water balloon down and Sanji managed to jump back enough so it wouldn’t peg him in the head. However, he wasn’t quick enough and it burst on the ground sending a spray of water to soak his feet and legs, “You suck, Sanji!”

****

With that, Yonji disappeared back into the house and Sanji was left standing in the driveway in his boxers and Zoro’s shirt, soaking wet from head to toe. Gaze falling from the window as he muttered to himself humorlessly, “Right back atcha…”

****

When it seemed like Yonji was done with his harassing for the day - and wasn’t going to come bursting out the front door to continue their fight - Sanji wandered further down the driveway and just stood in the late-morning sun that was currently beating down. Pulling a spare cigarette and a lighter from the packet he kept in his pocket, and lit up a smoke as he waited for the sun to dry him off enough to go back inside.

****

Puffing away as he watched cars pulling out of nearby driveways with people heading off to work, and kids coming outside to play in their yards while making the most of their summer vacation. All the while Sanji stood there, pale legs exposed to the world, as he knew he really, really, needed to work on not rising to Yonji’s bait as much as he did. It wasn’t like he could help it though, the dumbass had it coming and he made it too fucking easy.

****

However, the downside was now he had no shirts after this recent escapade and he was stuck borrowing Zoro’s shirt until he could find some new clothes. He had a paycheque coming in about a week and a half, so he’d just have to politely ask Zoro to allow him to keep the shirt for a little while longer.

****

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Sanji let a long, tortured sigh.

****

It was like the universe was just intent on making him into a joke. He may have done some of this to himself, but a large portion of these repercussions were absolutely beyond his control; Zoro’s involvement in this whole thing was just the proverbial icing on the cake. He almost wished he had just stuck it out with the ‘dumb duck’ shirt.

****

Lowering his hand to take a final couple puffs on his cigarette, he tried not to let any of it bother him anymore. At least he only had to put up with all of this for only a couple more months, and then he’d be at military school far away from all this bullshit. Flicking the finished butt into the nearby gutter at the end of the driveway, Sanji turned and made his way back inside.

****

~2:37pm~

****

Hot, afternoon sun beat down on Zoro’s peaceful frame as he dozed, soft breeze occasionally wafting by to rustle his hair and tickle his nose to keep him from actually falling asleep. Lounging in one of the amazing patio chairs at Ace’s apartment, he could just barely discern the strumming of the guitar from the other man as he fiddled hopelessly with the acoustic.

****

Despite the awful nature of his many jobs - evening and early morning shifts - they allowed him to really be able to relax and enjoy the best part of the day. Give him a piece of sunlight and place to nap over a mid-day workshift anyday.

****

Patio door sliding open, Zoro cracked an eye to see Luffy coming out onto the deck with two beers clasped in his hand as the other held aloft a large plate of meat filled sandwiches. He handed off the beers to Ace and Zoro before picking up a sandwich and taking a massive bite, chewing happily as he stood out on the deck with the two of them.

****

“You gonna share any of that?”

****

Luffy’s eyes narrowed and he slowly concealed the plate by turning his shoulder to Zoro, “No.”

****

“Fine.” Zoro grunted. 

****

Shuffling back inside with his plate heavily guarded, Zoro watched him go before leaning forward out of his chair. Hooking the cap of his beer under the nearby patio table, Zoro jerked the bottle down to pop off the top before raising the bottle to his lips and taking a long swig. Flopping back into his chair with a content sigh; really, there was nothing better than a cold beer while laying out in the sun.

****

Sparing a glance to Ace, Zoro finally piped up, “How’s work been?”

****

Ace worked down at the local fire department, and while he had always seemed a bit of a pyromaniac as a kid he certainly did his job well. The shift work was sporadic, so whenever he got his days off Zoro would usually come over in his free time to pester the other. A lot of it pertaining to them lounging around and enjoying their time off from work.

****

“Not too bad.” Ace continued to happily pluck away at the guitar as Zoro could just barely pinpoint the melody. Probably Bink’s Sake or some other sea shanty the man liked to play. Murmuring a few lines of the song to confirm Zoro’s suspicions before asking, “What about you?”

****

“Hn.” Zoro made an indifferent noise before adding as an afterthought, “I got one of Rei’s brothers working for me.”

****

“Jesus,” Ace grunted, hand coming down to muffle the strings as he turned an actual concerned look to Zoro who matched his gaze while taking a long swig from his beer, “What sort of hellish debt did you owe her to agree to that?”

****

"It's not actually that bad," Lowering his beer with a shrug. At Ace's skeptical gaze Zoro elaborated, "He showed up early, picked up everything quick, and even helped clean up without me asking; that's more than what half the kids I've hired previously ever did." 

****

Ace returned to strumming away at the guitar thoughtfully, the upbeat chords flowing off the patio and seeming to hum out across the hot summer air for longer than normal. Zoro’s eyes beginning to fall shut once more as Ace asked, “So have all of them shaped up?”

****

“I don’t think so,” Zoro scowled as he remembered what Sanji had been forced to come into work wearing, “second day the kid showed up with a shirt that his brother had written ‘I’m a dumb fuck’ on, and had apparently stolen all his clothes.”

****

Zoro couldn’t stop thinking about Rei’s brothers and everything that had happened at work the other day. He had always been apprehensive when it came to Rei’s family - there was a lot of history there that made them all uneasy - but he had promised her he’d stay out of it. However, that didn’t stop him from finding the whole situation between Sanji and his brothers a bit odd. At least Sanji hadn’t seemed too annoyed by it, if anything the blond just seemed reluctantly accepting of the whole thing.

****

A barely concealed snort from Ace had Zoro cracking an eye in question.

****

"Weeell," Shoulders coming up in a playful shrug, Ace had the grace to only look a tad guilty as he laughed, "that just sounds like good ol' brotherly affection. Ask Luffy about the time I lead him into the woods and ditched him." 

****

“I remember that!”

****

Both men turned as Luffy’s booming voice drifted out to the porch, the younger man sounding neither put out nor overjoyed by the memory as Zoro turned back to look at Ace. Pointing around the beer still in his grasp, “Didn’t Shanks make you and Sabo go get him?”

****

“Yeah.” Ace shrugged while hugging his guitar, “Still funny though.”

****

“It was kinda funny!” Luffy piped up again, only this time his words were muffled as it sounded like his mouth was full of food.

****

“I don’t know.” Zoro grunted as he flopped back in his chair, not quite able to explain why the whole thing had left such a bad taste in his mouth. It felt like he was missing some integral piece and it was infuriating, “Still seemed fucked up.”

****

“Listen, Zoro,” Ace placated the man with a polite, if condescending tone, “you didn’t have brothers, and I know you had Pear-Bear--”

****

“Don’t call her that.”

****

“--but an older sister just isn’t the same.” Ace continued completely unperturbed to Zoro’s look of disgust at the awful pet name the man had adorned his sister with. Scowling all the while Ace waved a hand about while chuckling, “I mean, the three of us used to go out into the woods and just have fights, for no good reason. It was just kids being kids.”

****

“I suppose…” Zoro tilted the bottle back and gulped back the last dregs of beer and foam before setting the bottle aside with a defeated shrug, “I guess just seeing him made me remember how bad it used to be for all of them.”

****

At that they both fell silent, Ace’s face darkening a little as they both knew all too well how messed up things had gotten in that house. With Judge in and out of prison with his constant anger issues, and Rei showing up with questionable marks on her all the time; it hadn’t taken a genius to figure out what went on in that house when no one else was around.

****

But once her mother died, Rei had made them swear not to step in, pleaded in fact, out of fear of all of the kids being taken away or split up into foster care. Zoro had spent his fair share of time in the system, and that had been enough of an argument from her to keep him quiet, but Ace had always been harder to convince. In the end, they had chosen to trust her to know what was best for herself and her brothers, and well, it seemed to have worked out fairly well...

****

“You remember Rei, she sacrificed a lot to keep those kids together.” Ace argued, but Zoro could tell that despite the man’s words, there wasn’t much conviction to his tone, “If she felt comfortable enough to finally leave… we have to trust that she got things under control.”

****

“Yeah,” Zoro accepted reluctantly, knowing that he shouldn’t be so suspicious of Judge just because Sanji had some shit siblings. Deciding to put away the bad feeling nagging him once and for all, just trust that if anything bad really was going on he’d be told about it, “Yeah, I guess.”

****

“Look, I liked that jerk even less than you did, but I respected her wishes.” Ace shook his head, “I won’t fuck that up now. If she says it’s fine, it’s fine.”

****

“Alright. Alright.” Zoro waved off Ace’s words, not needing any more convincing. A wry smile lighting up his face a few minutes later after Ace had already returned to playing and a silence had once more settled between them which he broke, “You’re right though.”

****

“Hm?”

****

“Perona is catty.” Zoro shrugged, “But we never got into fights the way you three did.”

****

“Speaking of Pear-Bear, how’s she doing?” Ace waggled his eyebrows, “She still single? I know she a freak, but I’ve been kinda lonely recently. And shift work’s been killing my social life--”

****

“You call her that one more time and I’m throwing your guitar off the balcony.”

****

A look of terror washed over Ace’s face and he bodily clutched his guitar to himself as he leaned away from Zoro in an attempt to protect it.

****

~5:47pm~

****

Clamouring out of the old beater that Usopp somehow still considered a car, Sanji closed the door before leaning in through the still open window, “Seriously, thanks for the ride man.”

****

“It’s no problem.” Usopp grinned, “I’ll probably see you Wednesday for work, yeah?”

****

“Yeah, I think so.” Sanji nodded, pulling away and slapping the side of the car, he added, “Safe drive, yeah?”

****

With a couple obnoxious honks, Usopp put the car back in drive and took off as Sanji watched him go, still amazed that thing was managing to pull away. Making his way up to the quaint old theatre, Sanji pushed his way inside as he found the front doors already conveniently unlocked. Once more greeted by the salty aroma of popcorn and other confections as it was starting to become a welcoming smell.

****

In the hall, Sanji ran into Zoro who was in the process of taking the floats up to the front for the tills and immediately felt his heart jump into his throat. Suddenly far too warm under the collar of his - Zoro’s - shirt as he couldn’t help but remember everything that had happened the other day. It was like he was constantly at war with himself; the older him that was somehow able to hold a conversation with the man, and the younger thirteen-year old him that still had a crush and showed his affection by angrily kicking people in the shins.

****

Before Sanji had a chance to finish panicking over how he was going to address the older man, Zoro stopped mid-stride to glance down at Sanji and ask, “Is that my shirt?”

****

“Uh… yeah,” Sanji rubbed his hand against the back of his neck to try to stifle some of his embarrassment, stalling for several moments as all the greetings he had been cycling through were rendered moot. “Look, Yonji burned all my shirts so I’m gonna need to borrow it for a while. At least until my first paycheque, if that’s alright?”

****

A blank look took over Zoro’s face, before he nodded simply and continued off down the hall as that seemed to be the end of it. Sanji’s shoulders deflating with a silent sigh of relief as he somehow had managed to get through that small interaction without stuttering or doing anything embarrassing.

****

In the break room, Sanji took the opportunity to swiftly change into his work shirt, including the dumb little visor that made him feel like an absolute moron, before making his way out to the front. Zoro was just finishing counting the float for the till when Sanji came to stand next to him awkwardly.

****

Refraining from tapping his fingers on the counter as he chanced a glance at Zoro, mouth going dry as his gaze flickered down the older man’s frame. From the strong line of his jaw, to the taut lines of his work shirt, all the way down to those sinful, large hands currently lazily counting out quarters. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, Sanji turned to face forward and tried to calm his elevated heart rate. 

****

After finishing counting, Zoro slammed the till shut and proceeded to walk off without another word. Gone for several minutes as Sanji took the reprieve to silently slam his head against the counter a couple times to try and get a grip on himself. By the time Zoro returned Sanji felt a little less flustered, despite the fact that the man came to a stop right beside him.  

****

“Here.” Thrusting an envelope towards the blond, Zoro waited with a stern expression until Sanji awkwardly reached out and took it. Without any further explanation, Zoro snatched a book out from under the counter and walked away to the chair that was left behind the counter, promptly falling into it and flipping open the book.

****

Flipping the envelope over in his hands, Sanji asked, “What is it?”

****

“An advancement.” Zoro paused as he flicked through several places in his book while attempting to find his place, and then clarified, “On your paycheque. For new clothes."

****

“You can do that?” Sanji’s head shot up in surprise, before he became slightly suspicious. Not entirely certain why the man was suddenly being so nice, “I’ve been working here like, a day?”

****

“I trust you,” A cheeky grin lit up Zoro’s face and Sanji had barely calmed his raging heart after hearing those words before Zoro was shrugging and adding, “plus I think Rei wouldn’t be against me beating the shit out of you if you skipped out.”

****

“No, she’d probably fly here herself to smack me upside the head.” Sanji agreed, “But thank you.”

****

“Don’t mention it.” Dismissing Sanji with a passive wave, he muttered, “Just make sure you go buy yourself some new shirts; this shit’s depressing.”

****

Pocketing the cheque, Sanji chuckled, “How do you think I feel?”

****

“I hope it was at least worth it?”

****

Lips turning downwards thoughtfully, Sanji tallied up everything that had happened to him in exchange for the few things he had done. It certainly wasn’t even by any means, but he was still proud of the few things he had managed to get in. A grin breaking out on his face as he smirked, “Broke his nose.”

****

Lowering his book, Zoro gifted Sanji with a shrewd look, “You guys still fight that much, huh?”

****

“Oh, it’s all fun and games.” Sanji assured with a light wave, “Things just get out of hand sometimes.”

****

“Ah huh.” Zoro didn’t sound convinced, but he also didn’t seem at all interested in prying which was something Sanji was extremely grateful for. However, that didn’t stop Sanji from worrying that the man might not accidentally let something slip that would complicate things.

****

“Hey.” Sanji watched as Zoro’s thumb slid down the page to mark the point he had read to before glancing up at Sanji with a flat expression that clearly read ‘what’. The blond’s gaze flickering down to the book before back up again as he broached as delicately as he could, “Don’t tell Rei about my shirts.”

****

Zoro arched a brow.

****

“Please.” Adding in the plea despite every part of him loathing having to ask another favour from the other man. However, much more resolute in his request as he continued, “I don’t need her worrying over something stupid like this.”

****

Something flashed behind Zoro’s eyes, and Sanji could’ve sworn he saw a twitch at the corner of the man’s mouth, but it faded as fast as it had appeared. Zoro blinking slowly before giving a seemingly indifferent nod in concession and then turning back to his book. Hand falling away as he continued from where he had stopped, and left Sanji standing silently in relief.

****

Zoro didn’t seem like the type to say needless things, but it was easier this way to keep his sister from worrying; as it was she still messaged daily to check in that everything was okay and Sanji was going to keep it that way. It had taken enough of his efforts to convince her she could finally leave, and he wasn’t about to let some absentminded comment make her rethink her choice.

****

With Zoro settled in to read his book, Sanji pulled out his phone and flipped through it absently for several minutes as the theatre remained surprisingly empty. Granted it was a Monday evening, so it made sense that there wouldn’t exactly be a big crowd coming to see something. However, all the silence didn’t exactly make it easy to forget that he was currently alone with his crush. 

****

“So,” Sanji broke the silence as he glanced towards the clock before back at the double doors where no one was coming through, “if no one shows up are we allowed to leave?”

****

“Pretty much.” Zoro shrugged, but didn’t move from his spot as he continued to flip through an ancient looking book. Sanji was beginning to wonder if Zoro knew that most books could be read online, and in that same vein wondered if Zoro even had a phone, “But there’s always one…”

****

Completely zoned out thinking about how he had yet to see the older man actually holding a cellphone, Sanji perked up, “Hm?”

****

“You’ll see.” Was all Zoro supplied, not even pausing in reading.

****

Turning back to his phone, Sanji began to pass the time by playing a game. A big relief was how easy it had become to talk to the other despite his crush on him; it seemed that even between the bouts of breathlessness and heart racing moments, his need to remain a smarmy asshole shone through regardless.

****

It was about five minutes before the movie was scheduled to start and still no one had shown up which meant they were so close to being able to leave early. With a minute left, one of the double glass doors opened and a couple walked in, Sanji feeling all happiness within him shrivel up and die. Glancing to Zoro in disbelief, Sanji’s jaw hung slack as Zoro looked up from his book and gave a shrug, muttering, “There’s always one.”

****

Gesturing towards the till invitingly, Zoro stayed seated to let Sanji practice properly ring the couple through for the movie. Getting them their tickets before turning to shovel a bunch of popcorn into a bag for the two. When he turned back to hand them their various confections, Sanji made sure to smile despite how disheartened he was and once they were out of earshot, turned back to Zoro.

****

“You can’t be serious?” Sanji huffed, “For two people?”

****

“It’s why we only staff two people on weekdays.” Zoro explained with a shrug, placing a bookmark in the novel he had been working on and shutting it. Making his way out from behind the counter, “I work alone sometimes, but I can’t legally let you guys run the place solo so…”

****

Sanji watched as Zoro strode to the front and locked the double doors before making his way back to Sanji, gesturing for the blond to follow him, “C’mon. I’ll show you how to set up the projector.”

****

Without much say in the matter, Sanji bit back a groan and followed after Zoro as the man lead him to a doorway off to the side of the lobby he had seen Nami use during both shifts he had worked with her. Following Zoro up the steep stairway hidden behind it which lead up to a small room with a window looking down on the main theatre. 

****

A projector was already set up and running previews on the screen below as another sat beside it, currently off and being unused. Upon seeing the contraptions Sanji felt the words fall from his lips before had a chance to censor himself, “This thing looks fucking old.”

****

“That’s ‘cause it is fucking old.” Zoro muttered, before gesturing towards a reel of film set up by the second projector, “You’re gonna set it up. That’s the movie, always double check it’s the right one.”

****

Snatching up the large reel of film, Sanji swivelled it over in his hands to check the writing on the side to confirm it was the right movie before looking up at Zoro expectantly. Zoro simply gestured towards the projector with a 'go ahead' motion, so Sanji stepped forward and slid the reel onto one of the pegs that matched the placement of the reel on the other projector. 

****

Zoro stepped in close and for a moment Sanji was overwhelmed by that same musky-soapy smell that he had smelled the other night while sniffing Zoro’s shirt. Cheeks heating up, Sanji was very grateful that the projection room was as dark as it was so it could hide any evidence that he was affected. Instead turning all his attention to the projector in front of himself and hopped the blush hadn’t spread to his neck.

****

Sanji followed Zoro’s instructions without complaint and fed the film through the wheels as instructed before working at clipping the first piece in place. When he fiddled with attaching the second piece of film, Zoro reached out to help snap the clip shut on it and Sanji felt a nervous breath wheeze out of himself at the light touch. Skin suddenly on fire, he prayed Zoro hadn’t noticed how quickly his entire body had tensed up.

****

Stepping back, Sanji watched silently as Zoro showed how to set up the rest of the reel before turning the whole contraption on with a flick of a switch and turning off the other projector to effectively kill the previews. Machine whirring to life, the reel began to turn and light illuminated the film currently being fed through it; the large picture shining down out of the small window to paint the wall of the theatre with the large, projected image.

****

“Cool.”

****

Mid-way through taking the preview reel off the other projector, Zoro actually paused as though genuinely surprised before admitting, “Uh, I guess.” 

****

Going back to take off the reel, a silence fell between the two as Sanji felt his mental faculties return to him now that he wasn’t standing so close to the other man. The silence becoming disconcerting as Sanji felt the need to say  _ something _ to keep their conversation going; maybe if he got to know Zoro better, he’d find out the guy wasn’t actually that amazing and it’d kill some of this crush.

****

“So, what do you do,” In under a second flat Sanji could feel his palms become grossly sweaty and the collar of his shirt was suddenly stifling as he realized how awfully forced the question sounded. Quickly adding a snide remark to hopefully make the whole thing seem like a less awkward attempt at flirting, “y’know, when you’re not managing a bunch of asshole kids?”

****

It earned a wry smile out of the man as he finished putting away a few reels of film up on a shelf before responding, “I spend most of my time working.”

****

“Sounds lonely.”

****

“Not really.” Zoro shrugged, “Most of my friends are at work.”

****

Crossing his arms, Sanji didn’t quite catch himself before muttering, “Sounds lame.”

****

“I don’t need to be taking flak from Mr. One Shirt,” Zoro brandished a finger to Sanji before making a slicing motion with the same finger as he sniped, “so zip it.”

****

“Well, it’s yours,” Sanji reminded him as he chased after the older man, following him out of the room and back down stairs. It was interesting how once he actually got talking to the other he found a lot of his nervousness disappeared, and in exchange he just couldn’t quite keep himself from filtering some of his more smart ass tendencies. Grinning as he pointed out, “so technically it should be Mr. No Shirt.”

****

“Do you always need to have the last word?”

****

“No,” Answer perhaps a bit of a lie considering most of the times he had gotten into trouble with his brothers - or anyone really - was simply because he had trouble keeping his mouth shut, but it wasn’t like Zoro needed to know that. Zoro paused to glance over his shoulder at the blond, and despite the rush Sanji got from the man looking at him, a wide grin split Sanji’s face as he clasped his hands behind his back and chuckled, “but it’s pretty satisfying.”

****

Rolling his eyes, Zoro turned back to descending the stairs but not before huffing, “You’re exhausting.”

****

“I’m a delight.” Sanji countered, and he could visibly see a twitch of annoyance run up Zoro’s frame despite the man continuing to make his way back to the theatre lobby. Clearly ignoring Sanji, and the blond realizing that he loved the way he could get a rise out of the man so easily, wheedling through a smirk, “You never really answered my question.”

****

“Aren’t you nosy.” Zoro stated with a gruff hum, coming to a stop by the door and politely allowing Sanji to jump down the last few steps before closing the door behind him.

****

“Nope, that’s Usopp.”

****

“...” Zoro opened his mouth as though about to comment, before frowning and shaking his head, “What was it again?”

****

“What do you do when you’re not here?” Sanji reiterated, still a little surprised that he was having a conversation with the other without anyone else present while also not completely making a fool out of himself.

****

“I train people down at Gol D’s Gym most mornings,” Zoro scratched his cheek absently, “and when I’m not working here I bartend at a few places in town.”

****

_ Damn it. _

****

A part of him had been hoping that maybe the man was just an uninteresting slug of a man that had nothing going for him beyond this job, he hadn't been expecting a wholly ambitious work ethic from the other. It made it harder for Sanji to find him dislikable. A little taken aback by how busy the man actually was, Sanji scoffed, “How many jobs do you have?”

****

“A few.” Zoro shrugged before casting a playful look Sanji's way, a look which effectively pushed all of Sanji’s buttons all at once. As soon as the man turned away it was like Sanji was allowed to breath again, and he had to refrain from bracing his hands on his knees to try to catch his breath.

****

_ Damn it! _

****

"Uh…" Sanji floundered, hoping his derailment could be written off as simple confusion as he trailed after the other while making their way back across the lobby "why?”

****

“I want to buy a bar.” Zoro explained rather easily, “Can’t afford to save with just one job.”

****

“Huh.” Was all Sanji had to say as it just filled in a bit of the puzzle that made up the other man; it hadn't been what he had expected. “Have any in mind?”

****

“There’s one I have my eye on.” Zoro’s answer was oddly cryptic which gave Sanji pause as he watched Zoro make his way back behind the counter, taking a seat once more in his chair only this time, he threw his feet up onto a shelf, crossed his arms, and leaned back while shutting his eyes. 

****

Sanji idly wondered if this was just how Zoro ended conversations.

****

Distant sounds of the move in the theatre filled the lobby as Sanji came to stand behind the counter for several moments. Listening to the muffled voices through the doors and the hum of the fluorescents overhead as he was beginning to understand why Zoro had originally brought a book. Without Usopp or Nami to walk to for the duration of the movie it got dull pretty quick.

****

Looking down at Zoro, Sanji asked, “Now what?”

****

Without opening his eyes, Zoro grunted, “You could mop.”

****

“Again?” Sanji groused, “We just did last night.”

****

A grumbled snore was all the response Sanji got, and the blond stood for several moments simply watching the other in shock as the man had actually managed to doze off in those few seconds while Sanji was talking. It was almost impressive, but another part of Sanji was indignant that the man would just clock out and leave Sanji to stand around for two hours. All outrage died instantly as his gaze locked onto the raised front legs of the man’s chair and a wicked smirk spread across his face as he got a devious idea. 

****

Making his way for the storage closet, he got the mop and bucket - and filled it full of soapy water - before wheeling it out onto the floor to mop the linoleum area of the entryway. As he plopped the wet mop down onto the floor with a sopping smack, he found Zoro still dead asleep and snoring peacefully as he was beginning to wonder if it was really going to be this easy.

****

Dragging bucket and mop over to the counter, Sanji cast a glance around before spotting one of the security cameras and giving a thumbs up before reaching across the counter with the mop handle. Craning to make sure he wouldn’t touch any part of the wet mop as he managed to nudge the foot of Zoro’s chair with the tip of the mop and send the chair backwards.

****

Snatching the mop back into his hands and placing it on the floor, Sanji watched as the next few glorious moments passed as amazing as he thought they’d be. Zoro’s chair tipping slightly too far back from where the man had managed to balance it, still asleep as Zoro’s falling reflexes kicking in much sooner. Arms and legs flailing out in every direction as Zoro snapped awake just in time to yell and then bail backwards out of his chair onto the floor with an ungraceful thud.

****

“AAAaaaaarghhhh!”

****

Sanji couldn’t have muffled his laughter if he tried, clinging to the mop handle as it was the only thing keeping him from completely falling to the floor. Almost near to tears as the image of the normally  _ cool _ man looking like an absolute loser as he fell out of his chair was going to be permanently burned into his memory. It certainly helped to humanize the seemingly unapproachable lout.

****

“HAHAHA!” Still leaning heavily against the mop, Sanji managed to compose himself enough to cackle, “Nice one.”

****

A hand appeared and slammed down on the counter, followed by a forearm as Zoro pulled himself up until he was able to glare at Sanji from over the counter. Face red, Zoro growled, “Shut it, duck.”

****

Sanji’s smirk softened as he watched a flustered Zoro pull himself the rest of the way back to his feet, dusting himself off before stalking over to his chair and picking it up; grumbling all the while. It was interesting seeing such an uncomposed side to the guy, but Sanji had to be honest, it hadn’t at all helped to lessen his crush on him. Seemed like Sanji just wasn’t lucky in that regard.

****

TBC...


	4. June 7th

~5:00am~

****

A blaring alarm was Zoro’s glorious signal to the start of another day. Laying still for several long moments, Zoro slowly forced his weary brain to function despite the weight of early morning trying its damnedest to force him back to sleep. Reaching out blindly for his phone, he shut off the alarm and pulled back the covers to get himself moving. Cool morning air on his body was enough to get him to sit up.

****

Keeping his eyes mostly shut, he shuffled out of bed and to the bathroom to relieve himself. A leak, and several handfuls of cold water from the sink splashed onto his weary face later, he was a bit more conscious. With an obnoxious yawn and stretch, he finally felt a bit more lucid. Shoving his toothbrush in his mouth, he went to locate a pair of workout shorts and a tank before dragging himself to the kitchen. Still absently brushing his teeth as he threw together his breakfast.

****

Dumping several eggs, some fruit, yogurt, and a bucket of protein powder into the machine before flicking it on and then proceeded to lean against the counter tiredly. Eyes falling to the calendar on the fridge as he snagged a pen to scribble 'Sanji' under Thursday next to Usopp's name. Giving the planner a satisfied once over before tossing the pen back on top of the fridge. Also making a mental note to do the dishes tonight.

****

Stalking back to the bathroom, he spit out his toothpaste and quickly rinsed the brush. He went back out to grab his gym bag, unplug the blender, and snatch up the portable cup full of his meal for the morning. Next at the door, he slipped on his shoes, snagged his keys off the hook, and headed out.

****

Outside his apartment complex, Zoro slowly made his way down the early morning street as the small town began to wake up. A few early morning runners were out, as were people - still in their pajamas - having a morning smoke or letting their dog do its business. Sun high enough now that the sky's pale blue rolled back to reveal a dusty peach along the horizon.

****

It was a peaceful time of day, but Zoro was still grateful that the walk to the gym was barely a block away.

****

Through a large yawn, Zoro kept an eye open as he rounded the corner and spotted the gym. Several regulars were waiting outside, and as he neared a quick glance at the clock inside told him it was still a few minutes till opening. With a polite nod Zoro unlocked the doors and motioned them inside as a few extra minutes didn't really mean much to him. Waiting until the last of them were through before flipping the sign to open and heading to the staff room at the back.

****

Going through the motions of clocking in and ditching his stuff in his locker, Zoro gave a cursory nod of greeting to his coworkers who looked remarkably more chipper than he did. Nursing his shake as he checked over the agenda for the day and was suddenly snapped awake as he noted his name had been scrawled on the early class.

****

"Oi," Zoro growled as he glanced from the schedule back to his coworkers, "Who the hell put me on for yoga today?" 

****

"I'm sorry, Zoro." Rebecca chuckled, and raised her hands in a hopeless gesture, "I got a last minute client."

****

"Yeah, and I can't exactly do it either." With a hand placed on her protruding belly, Koala at least sounded sincere as she sighed, "I'll be taking bathroom breaks every ten minutes."

****

Leaning back on the counter, Zoro watched both women skeptically as this wasn’t the first time he had been forced to cover last minute schedule changes. Zoro took a long draw on his shake, before lowering it and pointing a finger, "Lots of pregnant women do yoga."

****

Koala and Rebecca shared a look before the former gave a soft sigh and placed her hand on the table as she made to get up, "I suppose you're right."

****

"Sit the fuck down!" Zoro snapped irritably, "Of course I'm not gonna make you do it."

****

"That's so sweet of you Zoro." Koala's smile was genuine, but judging from the way Rebecca was smiling it had all been her idea. He decided against calling her on it and instead tipped his shake back and focused on finishing his breakfast - it seemed he had a busier morning than he had been planning.

****

"It'll be good for you." Rebecca quipped as Zoro made his way over to the sink, screwing off the lid, and rinsed out his shake. Filling it full of water and heading out of the break room as she mused, "You could use some limbering up."

****

"Blow it out your ass, woman."

****

Zoro's departure was met with raucous laughter as this had no doubt been their plan from the very beginning. They had taken it upon themselves to use any excuse necessary to get him in with clients or classes that would get him a chance at a date, as though their newest pastime was trying to hook him up with someone. More than once he had caught one of them asking a client of his if they were single or not.

****

They weren't particularly subtle.

****

No matter how many times he told them he was perfectly happy being single, it didn't seem to sink in. And now he was delegated to morning yoga thanks to their nosiness. It wasn't that Zoro didn't like the yoga class, but at five thirty in the morning he'd rather be on the floor making sure everything was set up for the day, rather than leading a group of people through an exercise he wasn't exactly the master at. The meditation portion at the end was actually pretty enjoyable though.

****

At least no one in the early classes wanted to talk much.

****

Stepping into the room, Zoro nodded to the few people setting up - all women this morning - and made his way to the front to set up his own mat. Cursing to himself all the while. He was already plotting a way to get Rebecca back for this, most likely have her clean the bathrooms or something.

****

Starting them off with the proper breathing and stretching, he then lead them into a few starting poses. Holding each stretch perhaps a second or two longer as he shut his eyes and used the extra time for some much needed micro naps to rest his tired eyes. They got through a few more poses, before getting into the harder stuff when Zoro realized they were being watched through the glass walls.

****

Rebecca just grinned and gave an encouraging thumbs up while Koala continued to hide her face in her hands to smother the giggles that were shaking her frame. Zoro’s eyes narrowed as he lead the group into another pose and - when he was certain no one would see - flipped both girls off with a vulgar gesture. Rebecca simply returned it with a salute.

****

~11:42am~

****

“You know I’d never pass up a shopping trip,” Nami mused as they made their way up the steps to the entrance to the Grand Line Mall. Automatic doors sliding open with a welcoming whoosh and they were met with a cool burst of air conditioning, “but I gotta ask why you need to?”

****

“Do I need an excuse to spend a day at the mall with my favourite gal?” Sanji crooned, as he leaned towards the girl with a dopey smile. She looked particularly cute today with her auburn hair done up in a messy bun, and the skirt she was wearing was doing wonders curing his lovesick heart. Giving a wistful sigh as he wished he could have a crush on her instead of… Shaking his head, he shoved his hands into his pockets and forced himself away from that train of thought, giving a modest shrug, “I need new shirts.”

****

“I suppose not--” Nami’s strides faltered for a moment, before immediately regaining her confident strut as she demanded, “Wait, why do you need new shirts?" 

****

"My brother threw mine out after a fit." 

****

"Jeez…” Nami’s expression made it clear that that she hadn't been expecting that answer. Sanji silently praying she wouldn’t press the issue as he was already nervous enough about divulging that little tidbit of information. She seemed ready to say something else as well before nodding, "Yeah, okay. Where were you thinking first?" 

****

“Honestly, I haven’t been in a while.” Sanji looked over at the girl and grinned, “I figured you’d know what’s best.”

****

“That I do.” Nami simpered playfully, hooking a finger in the collar of the single black t-shirt Sanji currently had - which wasn’t even his - and began to drag him along, “Come. We’re going to Dosiki first.”

****

“Yes, ma’am!” 

****

Giving an enthusiastic salute with a winning smile, Sanji happily let the younger girl haul him off to the nearest store. Middle of the week during the summer had the mall pretty empty so they almost had the entire place to themselves as they entered Doski. A large decorative panda was poised atop the entryway, its paws cradling the ‘D’ of the logo.

****

Guiding hold on him released, Nami immediately went snooping and left Sanji to browse on his own. It had been a long time since he'd been able to go shopping - usually only with Reiju - otherwise everything he owned was from holidays and birthdays. It was kinda nice being able to get something new that was going to fit him since his last growth spurt - some of his old shirts had been getting a little short on him.

****

"Oh, Sanji, I've found the perfect one." Poking her head up from a rack across from the blond, she plucked a hanger from off it and held it aloft for Sanji to see the navy shirt with bold white writing across the chest that read ‘GENTLECOOK’.

****

“It’s perfect.” Sanji chuckled, and offered a hand. Nami tossed the shirt across the rack for Sanji to hold up for further inspection, tilting his head as the fabric crinkled and he gifted Nami with a sly smile, “You know, one letter changed and this is even more accurate.”

****

Eyelids dropping heavily, Nami gifted Sanji with contempt, “Gross.”

****

Draping the shirt over his arm, Sanji shrugged, “You’re the one that got the joke.”

****

With a huff, Nami deigned to comment on that and went back to searching as Sanji located a couple button ups to replace the ones Yonji had burnt. The bastard had even destroyed his favourite blue and black striped one that Reiju had gotten him before leaving for Germany. It made him even more regretful for not just biting his tongue and keeping this whole fight from escalating to this point.

****

Once Nami had exhausted the men’s clothing section, she took a few minutes to browse for herself before eventually flouncing up to Sanji expectantly. Sanji showing her everything, and after a quick approval from Nami, they were ready to leave.

****

“C’mon, let’s get those.” Looking up at Sanji eagerly, “I wanna go check out Galley-La. They got all their summer stuff in.”

****

“Okay, give me a minu--”

****

“Oh, no, no, no.” Nami waved Sanji down as she extended her hand firmly, “You give me those and your card. I’m a much better haggler than you.”

****

“It’s a mall.” Sanji stated with some confusion, despite following her orders immediately and handing his money and the shirts over to her. “I’m not sure that’s how it works.”

****

“Nonsense, sweety.” With a dismissive wave, she began sauntering up to the counter, “Where there’s a will there’s a way.”

****

A hopeless smile lit up Sanji’s face at the girl’s adorable behaviour, before he shrugged, slid his hands into his pockets, and followed after her - more than a little curious of her methods. Fifteen minutes and some incredible smooth talking later, Nami was ushering a perplexed Sanji from the store with his - incredibly discounted - purchase clutched to his chest and a wide eyed expression adorning his face.

****

“That…” Sanji was still very much in awe as he noted, “didn’t feel legal.”

****

Shrugging and clasping her hands behind her back innocently, Nami released a puff of air to force a few stray strands of her bangs out of her face. Musing with a sweet smile, "Legal is a manner of perception."

****

"You would have made a remarkable pirate in another life."

****

"Probably. Now stop fretting.” Nami hushed Sanji’s fears, hooking a hand in his elbow and dragging him off once more into the depths of the mall, “You got your receipt, and they got their money. Trust me you’re still getting robbed blind for what those would be at cost. I just feel it’s my duty to level the playing field; keep them humble."

****

“I think I love you.”

****

Nami smirked, and tugged harder, “Save the praise for later.”   

****

“Aye, aye!”

****

After what felt like hours, Sanji had managed to amass a decent collection of shirts at a great price thanks to Nami’s fiscal sensibilities. It was a pleasure watching the girl at work, and while he didn’t necessarily think it was possible for her to get away with some of the discount haggling she did, he had to give her credit that she was a pro. He even had enough left over from his pay cheque for lunch and more to put into some savings,

****

“Find us a table, alright?” Nami handed Sanji her meal in the to-go bag as she gestured across the food court, “I’m just going to go to the washroom.”

****

“Sure thing.” Sanji chirped, making his way through the court and just about to sit down when a familiar voice had him stilling. Turning on his heel to see his brothers walking past with a few of their friends, thankfully not having noticed Sanji yet, "Shit!"

****

Tossing everything haphazardly on to a table, Sanji ducked behind a nearby separation wall in the food court and kept low as he waited for the group to pass by. If any of his brother’s caught him here they would immediately give him hell. He could maybe pass off the clothing bags as Nami’s, but without her here he’d be pressing his luck that they wouldn’t go snooping. And if any of them found out he had extra money lying around it wouldn't be long before they would get a hold of it.

****

Once he was certain they were out of sight, he clambered up off the floor - ignoring a few weird looks thrown his way - and scrambled over to the table to slump into his seat with relief. Rubbing his face with his hands as he tried to remind himself he only had to put up with this for a few more months, just a few more--

****

“Sanji.” 

****

Jumping nearly out of his skin, Sanji spun around ready for the worse only to find Nami looking at him in concern, “Uhhh, you okay?”

****

“Oh, yeah, fine.” Sanji stammered, certain that if it weren’t for the air conditioning he’d be sweating bullets, “Never better!”

****

“Okay.” Nami didn’t sound entirely convinced, but didn’t press the matter. Dropping into the seat opposite him and holding out a small paper shopping bag with a large Crimin logo spackled across it, “Here, this one is on me.”

****

“Oh, Nami, you absolute angel,” Sanji gushed, “You didn’t have to--”

****

“I insist.” Waving a dismissive hand while beginning to unpack her lunch, Nami interjected, “Consider it a birthday gift since I missed yours last month.”

****

Sanji was a blubber of emotions. However, Nami was having none of his antics and soon the conversation turned to other things as they enjoyed their lunch. Talking about school, and work, and anything in between until a lull in had Nami looking Sanji over with a rather serious expression.

****

"So, does it happen often?" Nami asked. The question a little confusing before she continued, "Your brother throwing out your things?"

****

"Eh, not really." Sanji shrugged, "He likes to keep it interesting. Always something new to look forward to."

****

Nami hummed in response.

****

Crossing her legs and leaning forward on the stool, Nami snatched up her drink and slurped at it for several long moments while staring off distantly. Immaculate eyebrows drawn into an adorable frown as something seemed to be occupying her thoughts, however when she spoke it it threw Sanji for a loop.

****

“Did I ever tell you I ran away from home?”

****

Pausing with his fork poised over his food, Sanji glanced up at the girl in surprise, “Uh… no. No, you haven’t.”

****

Gaze still far off across the food court, Nami hummed while still sipping at her straw, “Mhm.”

****

When she didn’t continue, Sanji prompted, “Why?”

****

Setting her drink down, she finally turned to look at Sanji as she elaborated, “I got a lot of hand-me-downs since we grew up pretty poor; I was upset because on the first day of school everyone would show up in their new clothes and I’d be in my sister’s old dress covered in patches.”

****

She paused and her lips pulled down.

****

“I said some mean things to my mom, and I ran away for the day until our neighbour caught me sulking in the bushes,” A fond smile reaching Nami’s lips at that and her gaze fluttered down, “he set me straight; reminded me of what was important.”

****

“Is there a reason you’re telling me this…” Sanji’s voice remained quiet despite his soft expression, “Nami?”

****

Lips thinning, Nami turned to look at Sanji and admitted, “I’m not too impressed with your brother.”

****

“Heh.” A scoff of derision was pulled from Sanji at that, “Yeah, I’m not too impressed with him either.”

****

When Nami didn’t initially respond, Sanji looked up to find the girl watching him with an intense stare and eyes that held a myriad of swirling emotions. It was clear that she had seen through his flippant response easily, and there was a gravity to that stare that immediately had Sanji’s false smile falling away. Meeting her serious expression with a trepidaious one.

****

“Sanji.”

****

Sanji stiffened at her tone.

****

“I know we didn’t hang out a lot in school,” Nami broached with a carefulness that Sanji couldn’t remember ever seeing directed towards anyone before. The softness of her tone kept him pinned to the spot as she finished with a pointed look, “but I’ve known you long enough to be able to tell when you’re fake smiling.”

****

Gaze falling to his meal, Sanji suddenly didn’t feel hungry.

****

It was obvious what Nami was suggesting, and suspected, but Sanji’s go to had always been deflection and lies - he was never prepared for when people saw through it. Nami was one of the first and panic began to start his heart racing as he thought of what to say.

****

Nami had shared something personal about herself - she’d extended an olive branch - and without demanding it aloud of Sanji it was clear she was requesting the same of him. Or at the very least enough to let Nami know that he appreciated what she was trying to do.

****

“My brother’s aren’t the best of people.”

****

“I gathered that.” Nami nodded, “but that’s not all, is it?”

****

Sanji swallowed thickly.

****

“Home isn’t…” Sanji trailed off as a tightness in his lungs had him pausing. An ache in his side a fresh reminder of what he kept secret. Looking away he finished lamely, “...great.”

****

Sudden warmth had Sanji’s head shooting up to see Nami’s hand slipping under his - the freckle spackled skin so warm and soft - and her fingers holding his tightly. As Sanji’s surprise faded, she gave a gentle squeeze and when Sanji looked up he felt the rest of his apprehension fall away.

****

Her reassuring smile said everything she didn’t need to say.

****

Nami seemed to make sure they spent a bit longer at the mall than was necessary. Dragging them to the music store to test out albums and listen to sample tracks, taking him to several make-up stores and marking up his arms with a myriad of toners, before finally stopping by the candy store and abusing all the free samples.

****

She made a point of not bringing up his family again, but when they were ready to leave and outside of the mall, he knew exactly what she was referring to when she pulled him into a hug. Holding tightly before pulling back, hands holding Sanji’s shoulders sternly as she reminded him with earnest, “I’m here for you, okay?”

****

Somehow it felt like she was making it into a bigger deal than it was - and he supposed if she didn’t know the whole story she could only speculate - but her concern was incredibly touching.

****

“Thank you, Nami.” Sanji smiled softly, “You’re a peach.”

****

She leaned up to press a chaste kiss to his cheek before turning and making her way towards the bus stop to catch her ride home. Sanji momentarily speechless as he wondered if maybe he’d given up on his idea about having a crush for her a little prematurely...

****

Sanji waited until Nami was out of sight. Immediately striding over to a nearby garbage can and set that bags down before setting to work eliminating all the evidence that he had been out shopping - and was even in possession of any amount of money. Receipts and bags all deposited in the bin, before he quickly set to work pulling off all the tags and stickers that showed that the shirts were new. A few people gave him odd looks as he worked diligently.

****

Once done, he bundled up all the shirts - a tad regretful that he had to wrinkle them so soon - and then shoved the ball of fabric deep into his backpack. Shoving his notebook and hoodie on top of the pile to completely hide them before feeling safe enough to do up the pack and sling it over his shoulder. Finally, setting off for his own home.

****

~1:45pm~

****

A poignant smack rang out through the small dojo followed by a harsh thud as Luffy was knocked flat on his back while Ace stood over him with a triumphant grin. Luffy was already back on his feet a moment later and rushing his brother, as the other swiftly dodged to the side and got a light strike to the top of Luffy's head.

****

"Point, Ace."

****

"WHAT?!” Luffy lamented, rounding on Zoro with a look of betrayal as he howled, “NO!" 

****

Zoro shrugged while keeping his arms firmly crossed, "Stop fucking around then." 

****

"I'm not!" Jumping up and down to stay warm, Luffy scowled petulantly, "I’m just focusing on strikes and Ace keeps knocking me down!”

****

“It’s cause he knows if this went to groundwork that he’d get his ass whooped.” Ace jeered.

****

That comment had Luffy stopping in his tracks as his head snapped up to direct an unholy competitive glare on his older brother which only caused Ace to grin wider and beacon with a taunting hand. Whipping his arms down, Luffy flicked off both his gloves in a single motion before launching himself bodily at Ace. Tackling him around the midriff and sending them both the ground in a sprawl of limbs as Luffy immediately tried to get Ace into a lock and Ace tried to get a chokehold around the younger boys neck. 

****

The entire fight just devolving into a wrestling match as each tried to get the other to tap out; Ace was a bit stronger, but Luffy was bendy and it was nearly impossible to get him to tap out from a lock alone. Which meant their fight was going to take a few minutes. Zoro pulled his phone out of his pocket and sidestepped the brothers as their tussle sent them rolling in his direction and he was momentarily relieved of his referee duties. He pulled up the work group chat and quickly punched in a message.

****

**Zoro: Staff movie night. Be there for 945.**

****

**Nami: Cool. Which one?**

****

**Zoro: White Horse**

****

**Usopp: Ugh, the trailer looked awful.**

****

**Zoro: Then don't come.**

****

**Usopp: No, no. I'm not passing up the opportunity to make fun of it.**

****

**Nami: I'll message Sanji. Should probably add him to the group btw.**

****

**Zoro: Right. Will do.**

****

Opening up LogBook, Zoro went searching until he located Sanji's profile and had to refrain from rolling his eyes at the profile picture of the blond that was entirely too staged and overdramatic. The photo was taken from a high angle so it looked like the blond was looking up, hand in his hair pushing back some of the bangs, but leaving the rest to fall enticingly into his eyes.

****

Did the dumbass think he was a model or something?

****

Sending a friend request with great reluctance, he then added Sanji to their work chat, before exiting out of everything. Lowering his phone just in time for Ace to wail and redouble his efforts, legs wrapping around Luffy's waist as he arched back to really put his all into the choke hold.

****

"Luffy!” Ace growled, “No biting!" 

****

"C'mon, Lu," Zoro reprimanded while shoving his phone back into his pocket, "you want us to train with you and then you pull this shit." 

****

Through a garbled gasp, Luffy managed, "Ace started it." 

****

“I don’t care who started it.” Zoro drawled as Ace tightened his hold and Luffy began to wheeze. One arm with a death grip around Ace’s wrist as he attempted to free himself, but the other now pawing at the matt as though looking for purchase to pull himself away. Legs flailing as his face was beginning to turn an unhealthy shade of red, Zoro rolling his eyes before grunting, "Ace, let him go."

****

"Nuh-uh." Ace's breath was laboured from his struggle to hold Luffy at bay, his own brow laden with sweat as Luffy gave a hard jerk and he was forced to adjust his grip to keep from losing the squirming man, "Not till he taps."

****

"He never taps."

****

A garbled groan that sounded like the last of Luffy’s breath escaping his throat was finally enough for Ace and he released his hold. Both brothers falling back to the mats panting, Luffy taking in precious inhales while Ace shook out his arms that had no doubt begun to cramp from how long he’d fought to keep the choke hold. Zoro watching both of them flatly.

****

“Stubborn. Little. Shit.” Ace cursed out through each breath, “You suck.”

****

“Didn’t. Tap.” Luffy responded between his own laboured breaths, gasps turning to laughter as Ace’s leg lashed out to catch his younger brother in the hip with a half-assed kick. Both of them eventually catching their breath enough to sit up, though Ace still supported himself with his hands while looking up at the ceiling tiredly.

****

“We’ll call it a draw.” Zoro drawled, tossing a water bottle to Luffy, he waited until after the guy had downed most of and was looking a little less red in the face before asking, "So what’s the stakes for the fight tomorrow?”

****

“I dunno the odds," Luffy shrugged, taking a final swig before throwing the bottle towards his gym bag. Leaning back on his hands while grinning, "but Boa says if I win this then she’ll be able to book me for the Dressrosa circuit.”

****

"Damn, that'd be awesome." Zoro grinned.

****

“Boa…” Ace crossed his legs under himself and eyed Luffy, "Ain't she that bookie that’s totally in love with you?" 

****

"Yeah, she's nice, but I don't like her that way." Luffy simply shrugged with a hopeless smile, "I like being friends more." 

****

"I don't understand you sometimes." Ace sent Zoro a look, before turning back to his brother, "Well, if she ever wants to upgrade tell her I'm available." 

****

Shoulders shaking through a snicker, Luffy nodded, “Sure.” Before pushing himself up and heading back across the mats to locate his gloves that he had discarded earlier.

****

Arms crossing over his chest, Zoro cast a sidelong look at Ace before muttering, “She’d squash you like a bug.”

****

“Awesome.” A dopey expression lit up the other man’s face, and Zoro had to wonder what was wrong with the guy that made him so eager to go after clearly insane women. There was a reason he never let Ace near his sister, and it sure as hell wasn’t because he was looking out for her virtue. Looking up at Zoro curiously, Ace mused, “You met her?”

****

“Yeah,” Eyes flickering over to Luffy, watching him pick up his gloves and pulling them back on, “And there’s a reason she’s after the only guy on the planet that isn’t interested in her.”

****

“Likes the whole ‘Playing-Hard-To-Get’ game, huh?” Ace smirked, “I can do that.”

****

Rolling his eyes, Zoro just grunted, “You’re an idiot.”

****

~9:42pm~

****

People were piling out of the theatre as the early showings had just ended and Zoro was standing by the entrance, arms crossed and foot propping the door open as he waited for everyone to leave. Sanji specifically hung back and out of the way as he waited for the last stragglers to get through before stepping forward.

****

A toothy smirk broke out across Zoro’s face. Eyes flickering down over Sanji before snapping up, “Nice shirt.”

****

Looking down at himself critically, Sanji took in the tastefully awful shirt Nami had helped him pick out that he had instantly become very fond of. A polo shirt in creamy pink with intertwined paisley’s patterned across the front in a darker maroon. It didn’t hurt that the fabric was soft too. Turning an incredulous look up at the older man as he demanded, “What?”

****

“Nothing.” Zoro shook his head and his tone belied the snicker that shortly followed, “It suits you.”

****

“I refuse to take fashion criticism from a grown man that still dyes his hair.”

****

Zoro’s face fell, “Oi--”

****

“Oh, don’t worry.” Cutting him off, Sanji stepped inside and leaned in to the other’s space. Eyes glinting dangerously as he grinned up at him devilishly, “It suits you.”

****

“I--” Zoro’s mouth fell shut and a contemplative look replaced his momentary indignation. Looking Sanji over thoughtfully before smirking, “Fair enough.”

****

As Zoro locked up and put up the closed sign, Sanji quickly dug in his pack and carefully pulled out the shirt he had made sure to bring along. Waiting until Zoro turned around before Sanji held out the crisp, freshly washed and folded black shirt for Zoro.

****

“Here.”

****

Brows drawing down in confusion, Sanji saw the recognition click before Zoro was reaching out to snag the shirt and holding it up with a grin. Inspecting it before sniffing and turning a surprised expression to Sanji, “Cool, you washed it.”

****

“Of course,” Sanji made a face, “I’m not a heathen.”

****

A noncommittal noise was all he got in return. Heading back into the theatre as Sanji followed after, beginning to wonder if Zoro had even washed his own shirt before lending it to Sanji. Part of him disgusted, but another part of him helpfully reminded him that he’d shoved his face in it and smelled it and so he decided not to judge.

****

Making towards the main theatre, Sanji finally piped up, “Is it really okay we just aren’t open for the late shows.”

****

“I mean, who’s going to stop us?” Zoro shrugged, tossing his shirt towards the concession where it hit the counter and slid across to the fall on the floor. Sanji was beginning to question why he even bothered washing and folding it, “Plus it’s tradition.”

****

Turning his attention back to Zoro, he asked, “Tradition?”

****

“Yeah!” The exuberant cry came from Luffy whom had just come down from the projection room. He bounded up between the two and slung an arm around each of their shoulders as he turned to Sanji with a rather serious, yet excited expression, “We always have a movie night once a month just for the staff; and whenever we get a new employee.”

****

“Cool.” Sanji grinned, “What we watching?”

****

“White Horse.”

****

“White Horse?” Sanji tilted his head curiously, “Isn’t that the horrible action movie? I thought that wasn’t released yet.”

****

“Not till next week, but it arrived early so the staff gets the first viewing.”

****

Making their way into the theatre, Sanji found that the lights had already been dimmed and the previews were playing. Nami and Usopp had taken up residence in the middle of the theatre with candy and popcorn littering the seats around them, both perking up as the other three entered the room.

****

“Sanji!” Usopp waved him down excitedly before pointing at a seat next to him that was right between himself and Nami. “Over here.”

****

Without any more prompting, Sanji made his way up the stairs and over to the other two. Luffy and Zoro taking seats right behind them. Settling down between the two, Sanji gladly munched on the popcorn he had been given as the music began to blare through the surrounding speakers and intro scene to the ridiculous action film began. It was some over the top Mariejois blockbuster starring Hakuba Cavendish with unrealistic fight scenes, unnecessary explosions, and a completely over dramatic romance; Sanji loved every minute of it.

****

Maybe not because the movie was that great - though Sanji did secretly love the romance subplot - but spending the whole time making snide comments with Nami and Usopp really made it worthwhile. By the time they were halfway through the movie, Sanji’s stomach hurt from laughing and he sincerely hoped that neither Zoro or Luffy cared that they weren’t watching the movie so much as they were roasting it.

****

In highschool, Sanji had had more acquaintances than friends. Sure there were people like Nami that he had seen on a regular basis, but that was only during classes when his brothers didn’t really have a say over who he talked to. They had been far too caught up in the rat race of highschool, and hadn’t really given Sanji the choice to embarrass himself. But being here with these two and laughing so easily for what felt like the first time in years soothed a deep ache in his chest, and it made him start to think that Reiju getting him this job was the luckiest thing in the world.

****

~11:35pm~

****

“Oh man,” Usopp wiped a tear from his eye as he was still chuckling to himself. Nami and Sanji close behind as he guffawed, “That was as garbage as I was expecting it to be.”

****

“I’m just glad I didn’t have to pay to see it.”

****

Sanji swooned, “Nami, always looking on the bright side!”

****

“Oi, Usopp.” All three turned to Zoro who was exiting the theatre behind them, he jerked his thumb towards the stairs, “Your turn to shut down.”

****

“But…” Steps faltering and gaze turning towards the stairs in the corner of the atrium. Usopp pressed his fingers together nervously, “It’s scary up there alone.”

****

“You’re not going to weasel out of closing every time.” Zoro grunted, “Projection room, now.”

****

A small eep of terror was the last of Usopp’s complaints and he reluctantly was taking off for the projection room. Sanji following after Nami as the girl was busy taking her leftover garbage from the movie over to the concession counter to be dealt with. Pausing in his tracks when his name was called next.

****

“Sanji.”

****

At the mention of his name, Sanji paused in his tracks and turned to look over at Zoro who stood in the middle of the atrium. Arms crossed but for an extended hand which he pointed at the blond before curling a finger towards himself in a beckoning motion and a smirk curving his lips. Sanji however remained frozen to the spot as an appalled look warped his face, the whole nature of Zoro’s stance causing all motor functions to cease.

****

“C’mere.” Zoro reiterated when Sanji refused to move, hand falling away and a chuckle shaking his shoulders as clearly there was some sort of joke Sanji didn’t understand. Jerking into motion, Sanji made his way over in a wary daze. Stopping just short of the taller man, and - not trusting himself to speak without biting his tongue - raised a curious eyebrow.

****

Without further explanation, Zoro reached out a hand which had Sanji freezing to the spot, and then the next thing he knew Zoro’s rough hand was swooping under his bangs and pushing through them. Carding through the hair to briefly expose Sanji’s wide eyed stare up at the other man, until he got far enough that his bangs sprung back down to fall into his eyes - albeit messily. Zoro continuing to push his hand through Sanji’s until he reached the back of his head and removed his hand.

****

And the motion of Zoro running his hand through Sanji’s hair so thoroughly would have had the blond speechless, if not for the tiny pings and clattering at his feet that brought Sanji back to reality long enough to glance at his feet to see multiple popcorn seeds littering the linoleum. It took several moments to put two and two together, but when he did Sanji’s head was snapping up - disgust replacing his embarrassment -  and he was screeching, “You spat kernels in my hair, you moss-headed bastard?!”

****

“Oi! Language. I’m your boss.” Zoro snapped around a chuckle, his seriousness failing as he tried to keep his laughter at bay. Reaching out to point at Sanji’s eyebrow only to have his hand smacked away, “And that’s rich coming from the guy with a curly-brow.”

****

"Some boss you are!" Sanji was already bearing down on the other, attempting to knee him in the thigh, as Zoro held the blond at arms length while howling with laughter, “I should kick your ass!” 

****

"Like you could." Zoro's stupid, meaty hand palmed Sanji’s face, pushing the blond away. Sanji stumbling backwards several feet as Zoro grinned around his laughter, “Hey, remember when I spat watermelon seeds in your hair on your birthday?”

****

“Yes!” Sanji snapped, fuming. Particularly pissed because, yes, this wasn’t the first time Zoro had antagonized him like this. Launching forward and managing to connect a kick to the man’s shin, “Vividly.”

****

“Ow, hey!” 

****

“Hey, Zoro!” Luffy’s boisterous voice broke apart the two squabbling men, "Heads up!" 

****

A whizzing motion was the only warning before the next thing Sanji knew, Zoro's arm was wrapped around him and tugging him forward into a protective embrace as the noise was intercepted by a sharp smack. A hiss of pain slipping from between his teeth as the motion had his bruised ribs being crushed uncomfortably, however it was quickly forgotten as he realized where he was.

****

Stuck in Zoro's tight hold, Sanji's face smushed somewhere between the taller man's armpit and his pec. All train of thought derailed as his main acknowledgement of the scenario was entirely monosyllabic except for the occasional complete thought of  _ hot, hard, good, stinks, help _ ,  _ awesome  _ and others of that nature.

****

“Oi!” All the heat suddenly left as Zoro released him, clasping the football Luffy had thrown at them in both hands, rounding on the other man while shouting, "Watch it!"

****

Rearing back, Zoro hucked the ball back at Luffy with graceful accuracy, and the other jumped up to catch it. Just like that the moment was over. Zoro completely oblivious to how his actions had just caused Sanji a minor mental breakdown. How was he expected to function around the other now that he had just been smothered so unromantically by his armpit?

****

Rounding on Sanji, Zoro looked down at where Sanji’s hand had unconsciously fallen to his side to press against the wound Zoro had agitated and raised a brow, “You okay?”

****

“I’m fine.” Face carefully blank, Sanji made sure not to let any of his panic at being caught show as he lowered his hand, scoffed, and rolled his eyes, “I don’t need you protecting me.”

****

“Fine.” Zoro smirked. Sanji’s heart flipped over. “Next time I’ll just let Luffy bean ya.”

****

“Good.”

****

A flash of teeth and Zoro was turning back to snag the ball out of the air as Luffy tossed it back to him. Sanji pausing long enough to watch Zoro’s form as he braced the ball in both hands, leaned back, and then stepped forward with a snap of his arm to send the ball spiralling to Luffy. Trying not to be too obvious as he watched each flex and motion of the man’s arm.

****

Shuffling away, Sanji straightened out his shirt and fixed his collar before he began straightening his hair out while trying desperately to fight down the blush still attempting to creep up his neck from being touched by the other man - not to mention stop the erratic pattering of his heart over almost being caught with his injury. Managing to get the bangs somewhat acceptable as he neared the counter where Nami was just finishing tidying up from dealing with their garbage from the movie, and she was now watching Sanji with a curious expression, “What was that all abou--”

****

“Uh…” Sanji fumbled, not entirely sure what she was referring to, and even more worried with how abruptly her words had cut off. A look of realization dawning on her face had Sanji’s stomach sinking like a stone as he prayed she wasn’t thinking what he thought she was, “What?”

****

“Oh…” Nami’s eyes widened, “Oh my god!”

****

Holding up a finger, Sanji tried to halt any and all realizations that the girl might be coming to, “No!”

****

“Oh my GOD!” Nami repeated with an ecstatic smile, “It makes so much sense!”

****

“No. No. NO.” Sanji pleaded desperately as he reached out towards her - in an attempt to do what, he didn’t know. Maybe grab her shoulders and beg her to stop saying what she was going to say. “Whatever you’re thinking; I promise it’s not what you’re thinking!”

****

“Oh,” Nami scoffed with an arched brow, bracing an arm on the counter and leaning forward with a conspiratorial whisper, “so you’re not totally crushing on Zoro?”

****

“Shhhh!” Sanji shushed her with a panicky finger raised to his own lips. Casting a furtive glance behind himself to find Luffy and Zoro still occupied by their game of catch before turning back to Nami a tad more fearful, “You’re not going to tell him, are you?”

****

“Of course not, sweety.” Nami crooned with a honey sweet smile. Voice returning her normal tone as she gave the counter a final wipe and tossed the rag in the garbage, “My silence is always up auction.”

****

Blood draining from his face, a horrified wheezing was all that came out of Sanji as the thought of Nami telling Zoro something so private after he had just started working here was absolutely terrifying. Knees going weak, Sanji was certain that his hold on the counter was the only thing keeping him from toppling over.

****

“Sanji, my goodness, breath, darling.” Nami chidded with a laugh, reaching out to pat Sanji’s cheek playfully, “I’m just teasing you, for matters such as this I’m not entirely evil. Who do you take me for?”

****

“A wonderfully, cunning business woman.”

****

A sharp laugh was his reward, Nami smiling wide, “You know how to compliment me.”

****

Sanji gave a weak smile, still feeling ill. He hadn't thought his behaviour had been so obvious, but if Nami could figure it out then how easy would it be for other people? For Zoro?

****

“It does explain all that weird flirting in high school, now that I think about it…” Nami mused, “All of that was way too overplayed, I’m surprised no one figured you out sooner. It’s so obvious now.”

****

Through Nami’s laughter Sanji just nodded through a grimace, realizing that all his worst fears were being realized. Sure, he had come to terms with the fact that maybe he wasn't playing as strongly for one team as he thought he might be, but that didn't mean he was ready to go running out into the world and announcing it.

****

“Really, though,” Nami glanced at Zoro with a skeptical expression, face contorted as she looked the man up and down, “him?”

****

Sanji made a hopeless gesture.

****

“But he’s just so…” Nami trailed off, but as if on cue Luffy belched loudly and sent Zoro into a round of laughter at the disgusting interaction. Looking back at Sanji, she gestured to the two as their behaviour said everything she didn’t have to.

****

A grimace already on his face, Sanji just shook his head as he murmured, “Please don’t make this any harder than it already is.” 

****

Lips pressing together in a sympathetic pout, her teasing facade fell away as she turned to fill up a drink for the lamenting blond. Passing Sanji the soda, she plucked a straw from the holder and handed it off to the blond, “How long?”

****

“Since I was like... thirteen.” Sanji twiddled the straw between his fingers morosely, shoving it into his soda before letting his head fall, voice a muffled whine as he muttered into the counter, "It was his fault I realized I may not be as straight-laced as I thought I was…"

****

“Yikes.” Nami grimaced with a sympathetic wince, “So, what’s your plan?”

****

Lifting his head, Sanji repeated incredulously, “My plan?”

****

“Yes, your plan. Strategy.” Nami pushed, waving her hands about to help her elaborate, “How do you intend to woo him?”

****

“I didn’t really have a plan.”

****

“Really?” Nami didn’t seem convinced, “You’re telling me that you’ve had a crush on him this long and you haven’t done anything?”

****

“I only recently started working here, up until now I hadn’t really seen him since he and my sister graduated.” Sanji shrugged, “I didn’t think I still had it so bad.”

****

“Oh, sweety.” Nami sounded incredibly sincere despite the pity lacing her tone. Looking between Sanji and Zoro thoughtfully before snatching up the blond’s untouched drink and taking a slow sip. Setting it down and grinning, “Well, we’re gonna have to do something about it, yeah?”

****

Sanji made a soft meep, but whether it was from fear or excitement, he couldn’t tell.

****

TBC...


End file.
